Quote Originally Posted by rory_20_uk View Post
The book illustrates the lack of any centralised police records or even the ability to enforce laws over a distance. These are not issues today as they were solved over 200 years ago. In the case it was solved by nationalising the whole enterprise, but we do have more modern forms of communication now that mean that smaller entities can work together to effectively form a greater whole.

I hope that things such as oversight have improved over the last 200 years. Even if a large amount of policing were to be outsourced, there would still be several other institutions that would be used to keep them in line - indeed, the existing ones that police the police would be used.

I'm not convinced. If the reforms of the past created a more organised police force through nationalisation, and if the current forms of oversight would still be necessary (and funded by who?) then why are you suggesting privatisation? I'm not seeing it.

You think that private firms would provide a presence on every street? I don't see it happening, especially in less well off areas. In my cynical opion they'd do as little as possible for as much cash as possible. Who would have oversight where areas overlap, or in which chases or investigations cross operational borders? Further more, the chances are that in order to provide decent coverage the government would end up subsidising the system anyway.