As a gay resident of Brighton and Hove, I am concerned the 80 per cent who are not gay in the city are being told to fund demands for extra policing of an infamous gay "cruising" area.

Since I first came to Brighton in 1971, the Duke's Mound-Marine Parade (colloquially "the bushes") area has been a danger spot for gay men. My ward councillor, Susan Joy, has raised with Brighton and Hove City Council concerns we share about safety.

Before poor health forced me to step down from the gay protest group the Male Alliance, I lodged proposals on how to improve safety in the area with both the council and Chief Constable Ken Jones.

On a recent visit to Torquay, we learned of the suspected murder of a gay male allegedly "cruising" for outdoor sex in the harbour area of the town. Devon and Cornwall Police and Manchester Police reacted to anti-gay violence in their areas by discouraging gays away from danger spots.

It is a criminal offence for gay sex to take place in a public place under various sections of the Sexual Offences Act 1956. For some gay voices to table-thump for extra policing of areas where gay men are engaged in criminal acts is inappropriate.

More than that, it is unreasonable and unhelpful if we gays are to confuse privilege with rights and expect others to fund it.

Even with my stocky build, I am aware Duke's Mound in the small hours is not a safe place to visit. Several councillors say the area is up for sale.

Meanwhile, the council remains legally responsible for the land and the police for our safety. The area is dirty. The shadow of night provides to intravenous drug-users the perfect shelter to inject away from the eyes of the police and help.

In the light of day, when dog walkers, children and tourists saunter through the bushes, they see soiled tissues, discarded clothing, blood and condoms and, of course, used hypodermics.

The council is aware of this and so are the police. Before I stepped down, the council's safety officer confirmed that the proposals from the Male Alliance were included in its recent discussions, though outside the framework of the discussions.

I hope another life does not have first to be lost before the authorities see they must act with foresight.

Floodlight the area and reduce the bush heights to two feet. Torquay police keenly employ CCTV throughout the resort.

If used for the entire Marine Parade, police officers would be freed to deal with cases such as the 92-year-old woman who was battered for the price of fish and chips, not playing bodyguard to my fellow gays who trade the safety of a bedroom for committing sex crimes in the dead of night in the city's most notorious area for gay attacks.

-Johnny Lord, Montpelier Street, Brighton