Festus Akinbusoye has been elected as Bedfordshire’s new Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC).  Festus was the Conservative candidate for the May 2021 election and brings a wealth of experience including serving as a Special Constable with Bedfordshire Police.

The Commissioner said “I pride myself on maintaining valuable relationships with Councillors on local issues, Members of Parliament on national matters and advising government ministers on issues ranging from drugs policies to better supporting victims of domestic abuse. I also place high value on speaking to the community directly and listening to their concerns”

Festus also served as a link governor for the Offender Learning and Skills Services team which delivered training and education in prisons. His passion for working with youths doesn’t stop there, he is a former Parish Councillor and he worked with the Council to get funding for a Youth Club following a rise in anti-social behaviour.

The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner is now working with Festus to deliver a Police and Crime Plan based on the manifesto he was elected upon.

·         Invest to bring back community-based policing for both our urban and rural communities

·         Tackle drug dealing, antisocial behaviour and the causes of these crimes

·         Support law-abiding citizens’ rights to a peaceful life in our county and put victims’ needs first

·         Lead a multi-agency approach to early intervention and tackling re-offending

·         Lead an open and transparent policing area.

Chief Executive for the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner said “ My office has welcomed Festus on his first day as he takes the oath of a Commissioner. We have been working on his commitments made during the election and will now begin the process of engaging our partners, Bedfordshire Police and most importantly the people of Bedfordshire on the Police and Crime Plan that will be launched this summer.”

Chief Constable Garry Forsyth said: “I’m really pleased to welcome Festus into the role and I am looking forward to working closely with them over the coming years.

“Bedfordshire is a vibrant county with fantastic communities, but also some really difficult and complex challenges and it is the Commissioner’s role to hold me accountable on how the force tackles such issues to keep our residents safe.”

The Commissioner added “As I begin my engagements with both residents and businesses I will be opening up communication for full conversations across different platforms. Meeting you where I can, live streaming key events and sharing information on our new website www.bedfordshire.pcc.police.uk  

I look forward to taking up this challenge to be your Commissioner, getting things done”

Note to editors: You’ll be hearing lots more about Festus and his plans for the Bedfordshire communities in the coming weeks.  We’ll have regular updates posted on our new OPCC website www.bedfordshire.pcc.police.uk and you can also follow our Facebook page here .  If you’d like to contact the OPCC office you can email us at pcc@beds.police.uk