#DefundThePolice is based on a perception of inherently racist policing being all about power and control, and that the police choose to be involved in diverse public services to fulfill their agenda.

Since the inception of policing, particularly in non-metropolitan areas, even up until the 1960s, policing was very localised, intrinsically linked up with councils and therefore other civic duties beyond the (still undefined) core policing role.

As the years have gone on, other public sector functions have become organisations in their own right, but few operate or are accessible 24/7 365, leaving the police as the agency of first and last resort for many - “policing the 5-9 gap” as @iofiv eloquently put it.

Long before recent protests the police have probably been the most vocal in highlighting that they are not the most appropriate agency for much of what the public call them to deal with, and have been calling for other agencies to be properly funded to fulfill their obligations.

Why do cops get called for mental health crises, the homeless, fallen trees, lost dogs, substance misuse, civil disputes? History is one factor but the inaccessibility of the other relevant agencies is a much bigger factor, we hear it all the time.

Why can’t the public access the relevant services? Because they’re underfunded. They were underfunded before austerity and have now been decimated. The police’s share of responsibility for the vulnerable has increased accordingly despite the police experiencing cuts too.

So why are the police involved in so many things that aren’t a core function of policing? To exert greater power and control? Or just because there’s no-one else, and they recognise someone has to do it. “If not us, who? If not now, when?” (exact origin debated)

The overwhelming majority of cops agree that the likes of health, social care and local authorities should be properly funded to do their jobs effectively and 24/7 rather than the police doing it for them.

So yes, further #DefundThePolice, but not because of a generic anti-police agenda, but because it’s only right that other public sector organisations should be properly funded so that the police don’t need to do their jobs, allowing the police to concentrate on their core roles.

And please, do it in a way that ensures society’s most vulnerable don’t suffer more.