Bedford and Kempston town centres are ‘under siege’ by crime, Bedford’s mayor has said in a scathing letter to the chief constable.
Mayor Tom Wootton (Conservative) told the chief constable the Borough is facing a ‘public order crisis’ – which he believes Bedfordshire Police is ‘failing to contain’. He said he was writing ‘not out of formality, but out of necessity’.
But chief constable Trevor Rodenhurst said he was “surprised” by the tone of the mayor’s letter putting the police at the centre of “all issues and perceptions of the town centre”.
He also urged the council to work with the police to tackle town centre problems, saying they could not be solved “by policing alone.”
The mayor wrote, ‘Our town centres, in both Bedford and Kempston, feel they are under siege. Shoplifting is rampant, anti-social behaviour is unchecked, aggressive begging is intimidating residents and visitors alike.
‘And pedestrian areas are being turned into dangerous free-for-alls by e-scooters and bikes. I am told again and again that the public feel abandoned, and they’re not wrong.
‘We’re told the crime figures are under-reported as businesses have given up reporting crime, particularly shoplifting, because nothing seems to ever happen.’
‘Allowed to rot’
The news comes after local businessman 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 Bedfordshire Police saying that the ‘situation in the town centre is unacceptable’.
In his letter in March, McCormack said Bedford Town Centre is being ‘allowed to rot’ and that issues with crime and drugs are ‘threatening the economic viability of our businesses and the safety of our residents’.
‘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.’
‘No deterrent’
The mayor’s letter added that the feedback he received pointed to too few officers and too little presence, which meant there was ‘no deterrent’.
Mayor Wootton wrote that he demanded ‘an urgent and substantial increase’ in officer presence in the borough’s town centres.
‘Let me be clear: this is not a polite request, this is a call for immediate action,” the letter added, “The time for dialogue is over, we need boots on the ground.
‘You have my support, but you also now have the borough’s expectation that changes will be made.
‘Do not let this community down.’
In response, chief constable Rodenhurst told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that he had recently met mayor Tom and borough councillors.
“And we agreed on a robust partnership long-term approach to problem solving the town centre challenges,” he said.
“I am fully committed to increasing our community policing presence which will see our teams growing by 20 officers and eight PCSOs.
“But these challenges cannot be solved by policing alone. Public services have a collective responsibility to the public and, as leaders, we must work together on solutions rather than pointing the finger at one agency.
Live Facial Recognition
“There are practical steps I have suggested the council could take to help deter anti-social behaviour. In addition, I have asked for a review to establish how we can work more closely with the council CCTV team to respond to issues quickly.
“We are also due to receive Live Facial Recognition vans imminently, which will be deployed to support proactive policing in our town centres.
“This is not only a highly effective operational capability but also provides both visible reassurance and a deterrent to criminals and will form part of our Summer Policing Plan across our towns and villages,” he said.
Chief constables are primarily held accountable by police and crime commissioners.
John Tizard, Bedfordshire’s police and crime commissioner, told the LDRS that the challenges and crime in the town centre “cannot be dealt with by the police alone”.
“I would ask the mayor and council to sit down with us to produce a joint plan. I am confident that we have the relationship and shared commitment to make this a reality. It is important that everyone in Bedford should feel safe and protected,” he said.
By John Guinn, Local Democracy Reporter
and Paul Hutchinson, Bedford Independent
