Bedfordshire’s police and crime commissioner (PCC), John Tizard, is to face questions at an extraordinary meeting of the Police and Crime Panel next week (4 June) following recent police borrowing and also the concerns raised by Bedford’s mayor over rising crime.
The meeting has been called to consider a letter sent by mayor Tom Wootton to Bedfordshire’s chief constable, in which he warned that the borough is facing a “public order crisis” that the police are “failing to contain”.
Read: Mayor says Bedford town centres ‘under siege’ by crime in letter to police chief constable
The mayor sent the letter following a high-profile warning from a local businessman, who said that if Bedfordshire Police didn’t tackle the crime and anti-social behaviour in Bedford Town Centre, he’d create a private security force to “do it himself”.
Read: Bedford business owner tells Bedfordshire Police ‘tackle crime or we’ll do it ourselves’
Peter McCormack, who owns local football club Real Bedford, the Auction Room cocktail bar and Real Coffee in Bedford town centre, wrote an open letter to the chief constable of Bedfordshire Police saying that the ‘situation in the town centre is unacceptable’.
‘Local business owners are being plagued by relentless shoplifting, which not only costs them money but also puts their staff in danger,’ writes McCormack.
‘We pay our council taxes and business rates, and in return, we have the right to expect a police force that protects the people who live and work here.’
Public order offences down
In response to the letter, chief superintendent Jaki Whittred hit back, saying Bedfordshire Police “remains committed” to communicating with businesses and residents to discuss how they tackle crime in Bedford town centre.
Read: Senior Bedfordshire Police officer responds to letter calling on force to tackle crime in Bedford
“Tackling crime in Bedford town centre is an established priority for the force, and we are pleased with the positive results our community policing team and specialist taskforces have achieved.
“To date, shoplifting is down by almost 30 per cent, public order offences down by 26 per cent and personal robberies down by more than 18 per cent,” she said.
Panel members will also seek clarification on £8.5 million in loans taken out by Bedfordshire Police since December, according to Public Works Loan Board data first reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) earlier this month.
Read: Bedfordshire OPCC takes out £8.5m in loans to support infrastructure plans
The meeting, scheduled for 6:30pm at Borough Hall in Bedford, marks the first extraordinary session since November 2023.
These special meetings are convened outside of the usual timetable to address urgent or time-sensitive issues.
By John Guinn, Local Democracy Reporter
and Paul Hutchinson, Bedford Independent
