Last autumn, More In Common, one of the country’s leading professional opinion polling companies, undertook a comprehensive survey of public opinion in Bedfordshire relating to policing, criminal justice and community safety.
This polling was jointly commissioned by the Chief Constable and me. Its findings are important to both of us as we develop policies and strategies and focus the use of police resources to improve safety in Bedfordshire.
More in Common polled a county-wide representative sample of over 1,500 people. Their polling was weighted to cover each local authority area and is representative of the gender, ethnicity, age, and socio-economic demographics of our richly diverse county.
Independent opinion polling is as close as we can get to an objective, accurate and representative snapshot of public opinion at any given time. Traditional surveys, which are reliant on goodwill or networks, deliver skewed results. It is a worthwhile investment.
The headline findings were very interesting.
Six in ten (62%) of Bedfordshire residents trust Bedfordshire Police, which is a very close match with the national polling. However, only 13% of residents in Bedfordshire said that they had a great deal of trust in the police service.
Whilst these levels of trust are encouraging, they also mean that nearly 40% of the county’s residents do not trust their police service. That is deeply worrying. It must be addressed, and this will be a core priority for me this year.
Trust varies between the three local authority areas and between both age groups and communities. Encouragingly, young people are most likely to have high levels of trust and confidence in the police, with 71% of those aged 18-24 trusting the police.
This speaks to the brilliant work that Bedfordshire Police does to engage our young people.
Those who describe themselves as financially comfortable are more than twice as likely to say they trust the police (66 per cent), compared with those who struggle to afford costs (31 per cent).
Respect for the public
We have much to do to build trust across all communities and, most importantly, among those cohorts who have the least trust. Respect for the public and victims is fundamentally important.
This will require better “customer service” at every stage of a case, improved communications to explain what the police do and their successes, and getting better at listening and responding to the public, especially victims of crime.
Above all it requires making sure the police keep to the highest professional standards and solve crimes in a timely and effective fashion.
Both the police and I must also be clearer in explaining what we cannot do and what our priorities are.
This must be across the county, and at the individual crime level, when the police should keep victims up to date with their case and, where necessary, explain why a case is not, or cannot be pursued.
The public told us through the polling that they believe Bedfordshire Police tackle serious violent crime well and treat all communities fairly. Whilst most residents feel safe walking in their town centres, this is not the case for women of all ages after dark.
This is being addressed through the current Winter of Action campaign in the most visited town centres. Like so much else in community safety, this requires collaboration between the police, local authorities, businesses and others.
The poll tells us that Bedfordshire residents are most concerned about knife crime (52%), drug-related offences (41%) and anti-social behaviour (30%).
They also want a greater focus on prevention. These findings chime with my Police and Crime Plan, but they must be a catalyst for action.
In setting my focus for 2026, I have studied the polling results very carefully. I have also looked at the evidence of what crimes occur where, and what needs to be done to make our county safer and fairer.
2026 focus
My focus in 2026 will be on making Bedfordshire safer and fairer by:
- Enhancing victims’ rights and experiences across the criminal justice system.
- Preventing crime through system and behavioural change, including tackling the causes of crime, especially the underlying structural, social, and economic causes. This requires action by councils, the NHS, schools and indeed the government.
- Securing further improvements in police performance and improving public confidence and trust, including gaining a positive report from the HMICFRS inspection this summer, whilst at the same time ensuring the police respond to the findings of the opinion poll, and securing the police service’s financial sustainability.
- Developing and promoting a “Stop Hate” campaign across the county, building on the “No Place for Hate” initiative in Luton, celebrating the county’s diversity and having zero tolerance for all hate crimes.
- Improving the local police complaints system and services, starting by relocating this from the police service into my office to ensure focus, transparency and independence.
Most of these objectives require partnership working between public agencies and with the public. I intend to work for more effective and efficient collaborative working.
To this end, I have commissioned a review of the county’s partnership governance arrangements. I want outcomes, not cosy expensive chats.
Over this year, both the police and I will draw on the More in Common polling, continue to listen to the public, especially victims and ensure that our actions, including resource allocation, are evidence-led.
The public will hold me to account for outcomes and the impact of my strategies and actions.
This is a monthly guest column provided by
elected Police and Crime Commissioner, John Tizard (Labour).
It is published unedited and does
not reflect the views of the Bedford Independent.
