Police and Crime Commissioner, Festus Akinbusoye has launched his first Annual Report for 2021-22.
The report, published this week, gives an overview of progress made against the PCCs strategic objectives from his Police and Crime Plan.
The PCC said: “I am pleased to publish my first Annual Report. I am delighted to say that, with the support of a hardworking and committed office team and our partners, we are delivering on my Police and Crime Plan, putting people at the heart of policing, improving police performance, and successfully working with the Home Office for much needed resources.”
The report highlights the Commissioners work to date under each of the seven priorities in the Police and Crime Plan.
Chief Constable Garry Forsyth said: “Bedfordshire is a vibrant county with fantastic communities, but also some difficult and complex challenges. It is the Commissioner’s role to hold me accountable on how the Force tackles such issues to keep our residents safe.
“I was really pleased to welcome Festus into his role, and we have worked closely over the past year around such areas as increasing Community Policing numbers which we both feel will have a significant benefit across the county.
The Commissioner went on to say: “I’m proud to say I’ve contributed to staffing of a dedicated Community Police team to its highest level ever, improved conviction rates for rape and serious sexual violence, becoming one of the best-performing police forces in burglary solve rates, and the delivery of an increased, multi-year funding settlement for our fantastic Violence and Exploitation Reduction Unit.
“The very positive outcome from Bedfordshire Police’s recent inspection report is something we can all be proud of. The Force was rated ‘Outstanding’ for how well it managed the most prolific offenders. This is the first time any police force gained this rating.
“There is a lot more I want to deliver for our residents. I want to see an improvement in how well the Force handles public contact through the Force control room and customer service teams, as well as investigates crimes, and supports victims throughout the criminal justice system. I also want to see the quality of service improve for both our urban and rural areas.
“I look forward to delivering on these over the next twelve months”.
Police and Crime Panel Chair, Ian Dalgarno said “The first year of the Commissioner’s term of office has seen a robust level of engagement between the OPCC and the Police and Crime Panel. Panel Members have felt well informed and therefore are able to better perform their role as critical friends to the Commissioner and his office and as advocates for the communities we represent.
“We recognise the level of engagement that the Commissioner and his office has undertaken across our communities in developing the policing plan for Bedfordshire and the continued emphasis on improving operational delivery and outcomes and congratulate the Commissioner, the OPCC and the Force on the outcome of the recent inspection by Matt Parr from HMICFRS.”