Drug seizures hit £4.3 million as PCC continues delivery of Police and Crime Plan
Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Festus Akinbusoye has welcomed police figures that show illegal drugs worth at least £4.3 million were taken off the streets of the county last year. New figures from the force show Bedfordshire Police seized almost 23 kilos of cocaine and heroin and 6,500 cannabis plants over the past 12 […]
PCC backs county’s Violence and Exploitation Reduction Unit following successful Home Office visit
Bedfordshire’s specialist unit dedicated to tackling the violence and exploitation of young people showcased its work to the Home Office last week. The county’s partnership Violence and Exploitation Reduction Unit (VERU) hosted dozens of officials at the Hat Factory in Luton on Wednesday (25 January), highlighting work and commissioned projects which have reached thousands of […]
Fresh focus on vetting as force cracks down on culture
Bedfordshire’s Chief Constable Trevor Rodenhurst is putting additional resources into re-vetting officers and staff as part of a crackdown following high-profile cases of police abusing their position. Mr Rodenhurst made the commitment in an open letter to Police and Crime Commissioner Festus Akinbusoye, who had requested an update on vetting after a Met officer admitted […]
New initiatives launch for young people to tackle violence against women and girls
School students across Bedfordshire are being encouraged to put their creative skills into tackling violence against women and girls. The design competition for students across the county is part of a flagship education programme being run by the county’s major Safer Streets project. The programme will see a toolkit and training on tackling sexual harassment […]
Bedfordshire PCC consults with residents about police budget for 2023/24
Police and Crime Commissioner, Festus Akinbusoye, has today released the police precept survey for the financial year 2023/24. The police precept is what Bedfordshire residents pay to help cover the cost of policing, community safety and victim services through their annual council tax bill. The Commissioner said “One of my legal responsibilities as Police and Crime Commissioner, […]
Winner crowned in PCC schools debating contest
Bedford Modern School has been crowned the best school debating team in Bedfordshire after a powerhouse performance at the Houses of Parliament. The students triumphed in the highly competitive contest put together by the county’s police and crime commissioner Festus Akinbusoye. The Bedford school fought off stiff competition from runners-up Sandy Secondary School and Stockwood […]
New safety app launches in Bedfordshire
A new app for people to report feeling unsafe has been launched across Bedfordshire. Flare is being aimed at women and girls to empower them to anonymously report any incidents or threatening behaviour. Bedfordshire Police is supporting the launch of the new app, which is available to everyone, and will use the data to target […]
Three schools heading to Westminster for debating competition final
Three schools are on their way to Westminster after reaching the final of a debating competition run by Bedfordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner. Students from Bedford Modern School, Stockwood Park Academy and Sandy Secondary school impressed the judges at Bedfordshire Police headquarters this week to earn their place in the final of the countywide tournament. […]
Deputy PCC leads joint pledge to crackdown on rural crime
Bedfordshire’s new Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner has pledged to tackle crimes like fly tipping, theft from farms and hare coursing in a meeting with the county’s farming community. Ian Dalgarno joined Bedfordshire Police’s Deputy Chief Constable Dan Vajzovic, rural crime team and National Farmers Union (NFU) forthcoming county chairman Freya Morgan. The meeting saw […]