The Police and Crime Commissioner has supported the Victim Engagement team with funding for items to help with mindfulness for vulnerable children and adults when they are at Police Stations in his first week in office. The new PCC, Festus Akinbusoye visited the Victim Engagement team at Bedfordshire Police Headquarters this week to show his support and commitment to our victim services. The Commissioner said “I am impressed by the teams at Bedfordshire Police who go the extra mile to support those that they are working with. They protect and safeguard those that have sadly experienced crime in Bedfordshire and I am pleased to support them with this gesture” Arvinder, Victim Engagement Officer at Bedfordshire Police said “My role is to provide a holistic approach of support to victims and their families.  The type of abuse that these victims have encountered can have long term effects on their mental health and well-being.  The team look at beyond the investigation, to ensure that we are providing them the best possible support to help them to heal.  Every person, every victim is different.  Due to long waiting lists and the impact of Covid-19 and funding on services, it is often a long time before they can get the support that they need.  However, with the help of the OPCC and PCC, we have been able to access some mindfulness tools, that can help the victim on their road to recovery.” Clare Kelly, Chief Executive for the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner said “As chair of the Bedfordshire Strategic Mental Health Concordat I get the absolute honour of working with leads in our community that spend every day supporting individuals and families. Their work is essential and I applaud them for the care and commitment they offer, but especially in this important week as we focus on wellbeing and mental health.” If you need someone to talk to, there are incredibly supportive networks available for you.  For Bedfordshire, this is Signpost who can be contacted on 08082 000 247. Please note you do not need to report a crime to police to receive support from Signpost. There are also other networks available for you and you are welcome to access their services here: