policing tagged articles - Bedford Independent

Monthly column: Police reform must improve performance

The government will publish its long-awaited Police Reform Bill next month when Parliament returns from the summer recess. This Bill represents the most radical reform of English and Welsh...

Bedfordshire Police thank Bedford River Festival crowds and football fans

Bedfordshire Police have thanked football fans and Bedford River Festival visitors for a safe weekend of celebrations, though two people remain in custody following arrests in the town centre...

Monthly column: Summer of fun and safety

Over the next few weeks, we should hopefully be enjoying some super Bedfordshire summer weather. We shall also be enjoying the World Cup and, next month, the Bedford River Festival...

Bedfordshire policing roles increase but questions remain over visibility on streets

Government figures show Bedfordshire has gained around 28 neighbourhood policing roles, including additional officers and PCSOs funded through the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee...

Monthly column: Two years gone and two years ahead

Two years ago, in 2024, I had the privilege of being elected as Bedfordshire’s fourth Police and Crime Commissioner. I now know that I will be the last Police and Crime Commissioner as the...

PCC agrees extending Bedfordshire’s chief constable’s contract is “in the public interest”

The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) has said that describing the extension of Bedfordshire’s chief constable’s contract as being “in the public interest” reflects...

Monthly column: Child knife crime, we must do better

Knife crime literally kills. It damages victims and perpetrators. It is a societal ill. There have been too many murders and serious assaults in Bedford and the wider county for us to ignore the scourge...

Monthly column: Listening, responding and improving

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...

Monthly column: Democratic accountability for policing matters

On 13 November, the Home Secretary announced that the role of elected Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) will cease to exist from May 2028, and that there will be new governance...

I’m not a “dead duck” says Bedfordshire PCC despite plans to abolish role by 2028

Bedfordshire’s police and crime commissioner (PCC) has rejected the idea that he is now a “dead duck” following the government’s decision to abolish PCCs by 2028...

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