A new inspection of Bedfordshire Police has commended the force for its innovation and crime prevention efforts but highlighted concerns over response times, victim support, and investigative capacity.
The PEEL 2023–25 report, conducted by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), found the force is using technology effectively, including AI-powered tools and chatbot technology in its control room, to improve efficiency.
It also praised initiatives tackling knife crime and antisocial behaviour, particularly in Luton, where targeted operations have helped reduce crime by 38% in some areas.
However, the report raised concerns over slow response times to emergency calls, with officers struggling to meet the 15-minute target. A shortage of trained response drivers and an inconsistent approach to updating victims were also noted.
Call handlers were found to miss key steps in victim support, such as providing crime scene preservation advice. The force was urged to do more to ensure victims are aware of their rights and receive regular updates.
The lack of trained detectives is another pressing issue, with only 59% of detective posts filled, meaning serious cases are being handled by less experienced officers. Some were managing up to 30 investigations at once, adding strain on the workforce.
While improvements in case file quality have reduced rejection rates by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) from 80% to 20%, the overall rate of solved crimes remains lower than the national average.
Stop and search
The use of police powers, including stop and search, was found to be largely effective, but the force was urged to improve its oversight of the use of force and ensure scrutiny of potentially disproportionate actions.
Despite these challenges, Bedfordshire Police has responded positively to the findings, acknowledging areas for improvement and committing to enhancing victim care, response times, and investigative capacity. HMICFRS will continue to monitor its progress.
Bedfordshire’s chief constable, Trevor Rodenhurst, has defended the force’s latest HMICFRS inspection, saying comparisons with previous assessments are misleading due to changes in inspection methodology and focus.
Speaking the the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Rodenhurst said: “You have a new head of the HMICFRS from when the last time we were inspected, and their focus and methodology is different.
“And what’s included in each section is different. [Comparing the two] gives the wrong impression because it’s not apples with apples,” he said.
The chief gave managing offenders as an example where it “appeared” that the force had been reported lower than before.
Under the last inspection, they looked at the dedicated teams that are really focused on the high risk offenders, so the dedicated offender management unit and our internet child abuse investigation team,” he said.
“Two high-performing teams, and they’re still high-performing and the commentary says they are.”
Funding issues
The inspection assessed the numbers across the whole force and said they were higher than they should be.
“Rightly, they pointed out and said there could be risk there,” the chief said. “We’ve addressed our risk and we’ve started reducing that down.”
The chief constable said there had been 29 inspections during the current round, and only two forces had no areas that required improvement.
“And only five have one, and we’re one of those,” he said.
“So when I take the context of we’re one of the five with one area to improve, and Bedfordshire is not a quiet place, and the commentary says we face similar demand to many other forces, but actually the funding is less, I would say we’re doing a pretty good job with the resources we’ve got.”
HMICFRS say they will continue to monitor its progress.
Additional reporting by
John Guinn, Local Democracy Reporter
