A senior Bedfordshire Police officer has responded to a warning by Bedford businessman Peter McCormack earlier this week (Monday) which told them to ‘tackle crime or we’ll do it ourselves’.
In his open letter to the police, McCormack who owns local football club Real Bedford, the Auction Room cocktail bar and Real Coffee in Bedford town centre said he believes Luton takes an unfair share of policing resources while ‘Bedford is left to decay’.
Read: Bedford business owner tells Bedfordshire Police ‘tackle crime or we’ll do it ourselves’
But today, chief superintendent Jaki Whittred has hit back saying they “remain committed” to communicating with businesses and residents to discuss how they tackle crime in Bedford town centre.
McCormack’s letter struck a chord with Bedford Independent readers, many of which commented that they agreed with the sentiment behind his concerns.
One replied, ‘Someone needed to say this so well said, Peter. Bedford is a fine town but has more than its share of folk loitering about, committing crime and deterring others from visiting the centre.’
Rosanna Heasman who runs The Store on St. Cuthbert’s Street, and recently wrote a guest article about supporting local busineses, also joined in with the call for better policing.
‘He’s speaking total sense. We’re fed up and need strategic action,’ she said.
Read: What do we truly want from our high streets?
In his letter McCormack warned that if there was not a marked improvement in the way crime is tackled, he would fund a ‘private security team’ to tackle drug dealing, drug taking, and other anti social crimes in the town centre.
‘As a resident, taxpayer, and business owner in Bedford, I will not accept this any longer… Therefore, I am putting you [Bedfordshire Police] on notice.
‘If you fail to address these issues and provide a clear, effective plan to protect the businesses, women, and children of Bedford, then I will,’ he wrote.
Positive results
CS Whittred has however defended the work of her officers, highlighting a reduction in crime thanks to community policing and specialist taskforces.
“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.
But, as Bedford Borough Council, businesses and the police discuss how the town centre will be managed in a post-BedfordBid world, concerns about how crime in the town centre can be tackled remain.
Read: BedfordBID voted out after businesses lose faith in their plans for town centre
“We are aware of the community concerns regarding around crime in Bedford town centre and have this week met a range of business owners and Bedford Borough Council where we agreed some positive steps forward,” added CS Whittred.
“Working closely with businesses and residents in the area is paramount to our efforts, and we remain committed to maintaining an open line of communication with those communities.”
But, she calls on local people and businesses to support them in helping to catch those who take part in criminal activity in and around the town centre.
“Even with these successes, we recognise the negative impact just one incident can have, which is why we will not be letting up in our activity and enforcement.
“We encourage the community to continue to report concerns to us and our local authority partners as we continue to develop and employ the multi-agency approach Bedford deserves,” she added.
Project Servator
Today, in the Harpur Centre, around 15 police officers wearing body cameras were seen taking part in Project Servator, an operation that involves police carrying out highly visible and unpredictable deployments to distrupt criminal activity.
When approched and asked why there was such a large police presence in the centre, an officer handed over a leaflet that explained they were there in an operation designed to ‘help identify criminals’.
The leaflet also explained that the project uses a mix of uniformed and plain clothed officers who arrive unannounced at various locations and may carry out searches. Police dogs, Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and CCTV may also be used.
Shoppers in the Harpur Centre said all police officers seemed friendly and chatty and happy to answer questions.
On their websirte, a statement from Bedfordshire Police says, ‘Project Servator’s patrols are highly visible, but if you see our officers in your area, there’s nothing to be concerned about.
‘It’s normal police activity and isn’t linked to any specific intelligence about a threat to the area. Working with the community is a vital part of making Project Servator a success, so if you have any questions, please feel free to talk to our officers.’
We have approached Bedfordshire Police for comment on today’s Project Servator operation.
