Brighton and Hove, a city and unitary authority in the English county of East Sussex, has a wide range of public services funded by national government, East Sussex County Council, Brighton and Hove City Council and other public-sector bodies. Revenue to fund these services comes partly from Council Tax, which is paid annually by residents: this tax provides the city council with nearly 20% of its income and also helps to fund the local police force, Sussex Police, and the county's fire service, East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service. Some of Brighton and Hove's utilities and infrastructure are provided by outside parties, such as utility companies, rather than by the city council.
The city is made up of the previously separate towns and boroughs of Hove and Brighton, which had themselves absorbed other villages such as Aldrington, Portslade and Patcham at various times. Many of the city's public services have their origins in companies or entities formed in the 19th century, privately or by the councils of the formerly separate towns. For example, the first gas provider was formed in 1818 to provide a gas supply to the parish of Brighton; private electricity companies were set up in Brighton in the 1880s and Hove a decade later; numerous hospitals and healthcare facilities were established throughout the 19th century, starting with the Brighthelmston Dispensary in 1810; and police forces and fire brigades were formed in Brighton, Hove and Portslade. In many cases these were amalgamated into larger entities as the towns grew in the 19th and 20th centuries. Many public services buildings were rebuilt in the postwar era, including Brighton's central police station, the courthouses in Hove and Brighton and the local telephone exchanges.
Police
The city of Brighton and Hove, along with the counties of East Sussex and West Sussex, is policed by Sussex Police, one of England's territorial police forces. The force has its headquarters in Lewes. Sussex Police is divided into three divisions, one of which covers Brighton and Hove; it is led by a chief superintendent.
For centuries Brighton had no formal local governance, and the administration of legal matters took place outside the town. Until 1773, the civic and legal affairs of Brighthelmstone (as it was then), and all activities which would now be covered by the police and courts, were administered by a small group of people self-selected from the "ancientest, gravest and wisest inhabitants". The "Society of Twelve" or "Fellowship of Twelve" consisted of eight fishermen and four landsmen (agricultural workers), reflecting the importance of those occupations. Each year these men would elect from their number one Head Constable and two Headboroughs to uphold law and order in the town. From the late 17th century these roles were elected by a jury of residents selected by the Marquess of Abergavenny in his role as Lord of the Manor of Whalesbone. Other municipal offices in Brighthelmstone's early history included the Beadle, a town crier described by local historian Antony Dale as "in cocked hat and full regalia"; overseers and collectors of the Poor rate; and two nightwatchmen who patrolled the town and who were nicknamed "Old Charlies" by residents.
A more formal system was put in place after the passing of the Brighton Town Act 1810. The newly appointed Brighton Commissioners, forerunners of the borough council (and therefore of the present city council), were given the power to appoint nightwatchmen. By 1815 there were 16, and by 1823 they were based at the original town hall under two superintendents. Full-time professional police officers were first appointed in 1838, replacing this system. The force consisted of Chief Constable Henry Solomon (murdered in 1844), two superintendents, three police inspectors and 24 ordinary officers. In 1854, when Brighton Borough Council was formed, the force (now numbering 61 men) came under its control. Numbers of officers increased steadily, and new roles were created: the first plain-clothes officer was appointed in 1854, along with a police surgeon, and female officers first joined the force in 1918. By 1967, the last year of the council's control prior to the formation of Sussex Police, there were 424 officers. In September 1933 radio handsets were issued to officers; the force was the first in the country to be equipped with a method of wireless communication.