Performance and Governance Board
The Performance and Governance Board is the principal governance body and where the PCC holds the Chief Constable to account.
The Board meets monthly, and its papers and minutes are published publicly following the meeting.
Traditionally the papers were not published but the current PCC has introduced this measure as part of his commitment to greater transparency.
The detailed performance and risk reports for the police service are considered quarterly rather than monthly. On a monthly basis there will be a “spotlight” focus on one or more of the key missions as set out in the Police and Crime Plan.
This will allow for a more strategic approach.
Performance and Governance Board - Terms of Reference
INTRODUCTION
- Sits within the context of Scheme of Governance, specifically sets out the formal arrangements for holding Bedfordshire Police to account.
MEMBERSHIP
- Police and Crime Commissioner
- Chief Constable
ATTENDANCE
Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner:
- Chief Executive
- Chief Finance Officer
- Head of Governance and Transparency
- Staff Officer
Bedfordshire Police:
- Deputy Chief Constable
- Assistant Chief Constable
- Assistant Chief Officer
- Staff Officer
Other professional advisors will be invited to attend as required.
Principal decision makers are the Police and Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable.
Role
To hold to account the Chief Constable (and his Executive Team) for the efficient and effective delivery of the police and crime plan, including:
- Effectiveness and efficiency including utilisation of all resources.
- Performance
- Financial Control and Sustainability
- Risk (Local and collaborated)
- Police and Crime delivery
ADMINISTRATION
The board will be chaired by the Police and Crime Commissioner, or a nominated substitute in his/her absence.
An agenda for the meeting will be agreed consultatively and appropriate reports and briefings be circulated seven days in advance of each meeting. All efforts will be taken to keep bureaucracy to a minimum.
Verbal updates must be documented within the minutes.
Part One - To ensure transparency and accountability all meeting papers will be published.
Part Two - Documents classified as sensitive (restricted) will not be published.
Minutes will reflect discussions.
Recommendations and decisions will be made public and available to the police and crime panel.
The board will be administratively supported by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.
There will be a schedule that will be adopted throughout the 12-month period which will be reflected in each agenda.
Performance and Governance Board will run on the following schedule:
| August | 1 hr (Spotlight Report) |
| September | 1 hr (Spotlight Report) |
| October | 3 hrs (Full Performance & Spotlight Report) |
| November | 1 hr (Spotlight Report) |
| December | 1 hr (Spotlight Report) |
| January | 3 hrs (Full Performance & Spotlight Report) |
| February | 1 hr (Spotlight Report) |
| March | 1 hr (Spotlight Report) |
| April | 3 hrs (Full Performance & Spotlight Report) |
| May | 1 hr (Spotlight Report) |
| June | 1 hr (Spotlight Report) |
| July | 3 hrs (Full Performance & Spotlight Report) |
STANDING AGENDA ITEMS FOR MEETING
(Other items may be added to the agenda)
MEETINGS
Meetings will be held on a monthly basis at an agreed venue or electronically. Meetings will be planned for one calendar year. The meetings will normally be held on the last week of the month.
Minutes will be taken for this meeting and published on the website.
Documents will be held for seven years.
RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER MEETINGS
- 1:1 between the PCC and CC
- The Joint Audit Committee will report to the board any concerns.
- Matters arising from the Strategic Alliance Summit will also be considered for this board.
REVIEW
The terms of reference for the board will be reviewed annually.
Performance and Governance Board Minutes and Papers
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PCC opened the meeting and welcomed Chief Superintendent for Joint Protective Services Jon Hutchinson to the meeting. Minutes of the previous meeting were agreed. |
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SB - All actions will be covered within today's papers, others relate to future spotlight reports so will be closed in future meetings. DBS Checks- PW noted that this was raised as a risk in January due to indications that it could be declining in efficiency. Currently confident that it is under control. Have been using overtime and been trying to recruit and new starters coming in June and will continue to be monitored.
PCC noted a typo on Slide 11 referring to the number of officers which CC said would be amended. ACTION: Slide 11 amendment on Info Document PCC referred to the survey of victim satisfaction response rate and asked how this compares to other police services. CC said this is a work in progress but that all force areas struggle to get responses to their surveys. On Stop and Search, PCC noted that the report is positive in terms of disproportionality compared to national statistics, particularly in Luton. PCC observed that nationally, Black children are 8 times more likely to be Stopped and Searched than other children. PCC asked for figures in Bedfordshire. ACTION: Data on children stop searched for scrutiny panel to review. |
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ACC John Murphy presented report on police performance over the year, highlighting: · Over 92% of 999 calls are now answered in 10 seconds. Abandonment has improved. Was higher than 20% but now 9-13%. · Good progress made in arrival times due to changes made in responding teams and dispatching units more efficiently from the control room - nearly a 30% reduction in time taken to dispatch and new target set. Arrival time at domestic abuse has also significantly improved. · Analysis has been done of surge in demand in preparation for the summer period and the force are now able to understand what flexibility is needed in order to manage the demand. · Over the performance year there was a 1.6% decrease in overall crime - 834 crimes. The overall solved rate increased to 13.3%. · Last quarter of year shows improvement trajectory - lowest recorded crime and highest solved rate- 14.1%. · Reduction of burglary by 17%. Bedfordshire Police continue to perform high in this area. · Reduction in death from vehicle- nearly 10% down · ASB reduction of over 5% · Homicide - there was a high volume over a year ago but since work being done on DA, SV and others there has been an 85% reduction · There are some challenges including raising the solved rate for domestic abuse. This will be the focus of this performance year to drive up arrest rate. Repeat victimisation is reducing which demonstrates improvement in safeguarding processes and prevention work. · Now focussing on e-bikes and e-scooters and working to remove them from the streets - seizing dozens of bikes on a regular basis. · Fraud- an area of HMICFRS focus. Reduction in volume of crimes but increase in solved rate - 6 months before full impact seen.
PCC thanked JM for the report and asked how performance in Patrol team has been improving. Noted that crimes held by each officer are increasing. CC said that they are focussing on reducing demand and want officers to only hold crimes that have relevant lines of enquiry. He said many officers hold multiple crimes for one offender and that often crimes on their workloads were waiting CPS decisions on charging and care should be taken to understand the detail where numbers for some officers appeared to be higher than others. PCC asked what the implications are of making more DA arrests. CC said this should make the investigations more efficient as making arrests at first opportunity than deciding to do so retrospectivity when reviewed by CID was better for the victim and a better use of police time.
PCC asked how effective the new Investigation Triage and Allocation Unit (ITAU) has been so far during the pilot. CC said that 44% of all investigation reviewed by ITAU were filed directly or after desk-based enquiries, preventing unnecessary allocation. These desk-based enquiries completed by ITAU showed that the volume of work that would previously have fallen to Patrol officers lessened, increasing capacity to carry out other Patrol functions and generating potential savings in overtime. Now looking at other aspects - how to deal with suspects and offenders to make plans on how to improve this and how to reduce demand. CC was clear that this meant that there was a higher expectation that allocated work was therefore solvable.
PCC asked if the local community policing teams are attending enough emergency incidents and carrying enough caseload to free up capacity in Patrol? CC confirmed that community carry an appropriate workload that’s commensurate with policing their local community and said that there this is particularly obvious with crimes such as hate crime which are now owned by community.
PCC noted that the tackling of hate is as important as ever in the current climate. Communities are feeling under threat and anxiety is high. Police must be visible to the public and communication is important in order to reassure communities. PCC asked if there has been an increase in recorded hate crime particularly antisemitism?
JH presented report on performance within the units that are resourced by a collaboration between Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire. He highlighted: · The Roads Policing Unit currently attend 63% of incidents within 15 minutes. There have been 6 fatal collisions over the year and a slight increase in national incidents around motorcyclists involving young drivers and drug drivers. · In terms of the Operational Support Unit that works collaboratively, the forces have been ensuring there is resilience in preparation for big events and any possible unrest in the summer months. · The Major Crime Unit is extremely stretched because Cambridgeshire currently has the high level of homicides relative to the size and of the county but there is no pattern to this. All 3 forces have reduced planned staff reductions in MCU as resourcing is stretched and demand would suggest this would be counter productive. · Focussing on training and efficiency in HR · An update presented to the PCCs this week demonstrated an improvement in Firearms Licensing which is now a much larger department – 25% of officers are provided by Bedfordshire. PCC asked if there is a balance between managing volume and risk analysis? CC said this is being monitored along with the issuing of temporary permits. PCC received full report on ERSOU at the most recent ERSOU board. PCC said PREVENT is seeing a high increase in referrals but is being managed effectively. Working closely with partners and compliant with all changes in requirements. |
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PCC asked for a update on the HMICFRS inspection of custody. CC said that as the PCC knows the inspection is ongoing of Beds and no official report has been published however some issues identified regarding records have been addressed and other issues such as informing detainees and signposting are being reviewed. The inspectorate gave positive feedback in relation strip search and care of children in custody. As part of the Quality Service Review, HMICFRS have given some good initial feedback on responding to public. Bedfordshire Police are moving in the right direction on this with good projections. Feedback on safeguarding was also good. Negatives were around supervision of investigation as more focus is needed on this in Patrol teams. Some other improvements are needed in terms of victim support but there are no major concerns around the outstanding areas for improvement but the focus is currently on the area of responding to the public. CC was clear this is verbal feedback during inspection and is not official reporting. However he was pleased that the inspection team were transparent with issues they were coming across so the force had chance to address these. |
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PW noted that a full report on finance to come at the end of the financial year, but to note the focus has been on effective management of overtime spend and this has been significantly reduced, leaving the police service in a good position for 2026/27. PCC thanked PW for the update. |
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Present: |
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John Tizard, Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) |
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Trevor Rodenhurst, Chief Constable – Police Service (CC) |
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In Attendance: |
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Phil Wells, Deputy Chief Officer – Police Service (PW) |
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John Murphy, Assistant Chief Constable – Police Service (JM) |
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Sharn Basra, Chief Executive – OPCC (SB) |
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Helen Quinn, Head of Policy and Commissioning – OPCC (HQ) |
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Lara Lewis, Staff Officer – PCC (LL) |
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Katy Watts, Staff Officer – CC (KW) |
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Hannah Draycott, Staff Officer – DCO (HD) |
Tuesday 31 March 2026
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Agenda Item
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Item 1:
Welcome Minutes
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PCC opened the meeting and welcomed Helen Quinn, OPCC Head of Policy and Commissioning. Minutes from the previous meeting were agreed. |
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Item 2: Actions |
SB - All march actions will be covered within today's papers, others relate to future spotlight reports so will be closed in future meetings. |
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Item 3: |
Terms of reference agreed by CC and PCC with one amendment suggested by CC to be actioned prior to sign off. |
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Item 4: Performance Spotlight report: Protecting Women and Children
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PCC thanked those who contributed to the reports which he noted were very comprehensive.
JM presented the report on protecting women and children, highlighting:
PCC thanked JM for the report.
PCC asked if CC is satisfied that there are sufficient resources in ICAIT and if technology could be used to improve performance. CC said resourcing level in ICAIT has always been good and there had not been problems recruitment but staffing levels will be reviewed on a regular basis. There is already much technical support with automated grading of images, but more can probably be done. PCC said that this should be explored.
PCC asked for an update on the process of safeguarding referrals when working with both Bedford Borough Council and Central Bedfordshire Council in light of the recent OFSTED reports. JM said information is now given at a faster pace to both councils. The police are looking to expand the work of the multi-agency child protection schemes, taking learning from Luton Borough Council and applying these with Bedford Borough Council and Central Bedfordshire Council.
PCC asked what appetite there for greater partnership working at a strategic and operational level for safeguarding in the local authorities
PCC noted that the report focusses on specialist units but that there is a role to be played by other teams such as in local policing, including prevention work and safety on the streets and operations such as OCTANS. It was agreed that future spotlight reports will cross reference areas which cross the PCC’s missions. PCC questioned the significant number of vacancies in the RASSO teams. PCC asked if the PCs on the unit are on any detective pathway. Outcomes remain one of the lowest in the country, is this because skill levels are too low and resourcing is low? CC said that resourcing is reviewed along with performance regularly. There was a shortage of officers with the right experience and qualifications at one stage and whilst it is still taking time to grow force detective capacity there is significant growth overall and there has been significant investment in training for this team. Additional resources have recently been posted and the teams are now at full strength in terms of numbers with some DC’s being supplemented with PC’s. Now that the teams are working closer together there are more detectives available than before and PCs add a lot of value in terms of outside enquiries/statements etc. These are recent changes and we are seeing some reduction in use of outcome 16 and some increase in solved rate but his expectation is the force will improve its overall position. PCC said that he would wish to see more information on the use of outcomes 14 and 16 in the RASSO and DA areas at the next spotlight meeting on protecting women and children. CC said there are some difficulties caused with RASSO CPS lawyer capacity and churn and other system backlogs. CC asked if PCC could raise capacity and experience of CPS RASSO lawyers at BCJB or with the Chief Prosecutor- ask for comparative data on charge rates in Thames Chiltern with other CPS areas. PCC to action at his meeting with the new Chief Prosecutor later in the month.
PCC observed that he has heard varying feedback on the merger of Emerald and CID
CC noted that the benefit is that resources can be surged on a daily basis and moved to assist each team. Staff feedback is mostly around shift patterns but are engaging consistently. Recent conversations he has had personally with supervisors is that overall they believe this is a positive change and will improve overall service. They just need a new single shift pattern which will be imminently agreed and communicated.
PCC asked if CC feels that the Patrol team are equipped to contribute to the surge in solved rate in DA?
CC mentioned that the regional head of CPS has not been able to authorise the use of conditional cautions for DA for Bedfordshire as pilots in other forces are still being evaluated. However the CC believes from data shared and speaking to other colleagues that the pilots are largely successful and he wants to add this tool to the forces armoury for tackling DA. PCC will be meeting with the new Thames and Chiltern Chief Crown Prosecutor and will discuss.
The PCC asked for an update on Operation Octans, dedicated to tackling on-street sexual exploitation. JM responded that the police service is aiming to make it less of an isolated operation and more of a BAU activity for community policing teams.
Action: Future report to include case study featuring work of Education and Diversion team, demonstrating reach and impact they have in terms of interventions and any significant gaps. |
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Spotlight report: Victims
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JM presented report on the force’s approach to protecting victims. He highlighted: · Compliance with the Victims Code of Practice is an area of strength. · Good referrals and completion of Initial Victim Need Assessments. · Good at keeping victims updated - now up to 65% completion of satisfaction surveys but a bit behind on other surveys. · Prioritising training on officer approach to victims · Victim attrition - for outcomes 14 and 16, analysis shows that victims are rarely unwilling to stay engaged and often there is an unmet need so focus on this. · Any officer seeking these outcomes must record written confirmation of rationale and considerations which is subject to supervisory oversight and ongoing monitoring through victim boards and subject to dip sampling. · Can also focus more on attrition in CJB and subgroup to ensure all partners are contributing to the tackling of attrition. · Governance review commissioned by PCC’s office is not mentioned but this is important to how we deliver partnership contribution to protecting victims.
PCC noted that he has commissioned a review of the victims’ experience and support with a remit to · to put the interests of victims at the heart of the criminal justice system · to ensure that all victims have their rights and entitlements met · to develop and implement a victim led system Scope · victim experience and victim views as paramount focus · all types of crime · all types of crime · every stage of the journey from crime being committed to resolution of the case through the courts or otherwise · all agencies including police, CPS, courts, and voluntary and community organisations · victims’ empowerment · comparisons of Bedfordshire with other areas o outcomes o victim involvement in service design, monitoring and governance o expenditure o organisational arrangements o governance It should be an important contribution to identifying the issues and improving victim’s experience. HQ explained that victims’ review is a whole system review. Scoping and initial has benchmarking started. It will address victims’ rights and experience across all crime types. She is setting up an advisory group which is a non-decision-making board which will be shaping recommendation. The review is scheduled to complete its initial work in the summer. PCC observed that the police rightly note that attrition is not only caused by policing but noted that there is significant attrition between reporting and investigation which is a matter for the police. PCC asked why and what may be done to improve it. Would be good to see data broken down by crime type and other factors. PCC asked for an update on the new victims’ portal and paid translation services. CC said he is reviewing procurement options and different systems. On victim satisfaction, PCC noted that some of the narrative within the report talks about unmet need and early investigative process. He needs reassurance that victims are at the core of the policing at all times. PCC asked how this is reinforced in initial training and beyond.
CC agreed and said that this is being focussed on in terms of communication with frontline officers and training. He noted that there are signs of changing mindsets and more work continues on the cultural change. CC is asking workforce to focus on 3 things prevent (crime in the first place), respond (better to victim) and solve (for victim). This is approach will be embedded in initial training but must continue in student hub and will be messaged and monitored in respect of leaders of all teams. |
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Item 5: HMICFRS
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CC provided an update on Bedfordshire Police’s progress against the areas for improvement outlined in the 2024 PEEL inspection report, highlighting that: · AFI 8, 9, 11 and 13 are now signed off and marked by HMICFRS as complete. · CC believes AFI 3, 4 and 6 are close to being ready for sign off. · AFI 7 (responding to public) and AFI 10 (securing outcomes for victims) are proving to be the most difficult to demonstrate improvements against. · Others need fully embedding and need evidence of processes being successful.
PCC thanked CC for the update and for the hard work that has gone into these AFIs. PCC noted that this work will continue beyond the 2025 PEEL inspection and must be sustainable outcomes. PCC needs reassurance that that AFI 7 and 10 will not endure and that there will be sufficient evidence of progress. Pleased to note from conversations with the inspectorate that HMICFRS has confidence in the Bedfordshire Police leadership team. PCC reported on a positive meeting with the HMICFRS Force Liaison Officer when he had had an opportunity to discuss progress against the 2024 AFIs and preparation for the 2025 inspection. |
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Item 6: (Change in risk OPCC and Force)
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SB noted that changes to risk the OPCC register have been agreed at JAC. CC noted that confirmation of Special Grants for tackling serious and organised crime has now been received from the Home Office thus reducing a significant financial risk |
Executive Summary
The Commissioner’s Police and Crime Plan, released in autumn 2024, describes seven missions for policing and criminal justice in Bedfordshire. This report presents an assessment of the Force’s effectiveness at delivering Mission II: Putting Victims at the Heart of the Criminal Justice System and Mission IV: Protecting Women and Children.
Supporting papers
Commissioner’s Police and Crime Plan 2024 to 2028.
Recommendations
Recommendation 1: The Board is asked to review and discuss the assessment of Mission II and Mission IV presented in this report, and to note any requirements for future reporting of the Force’s delivery of the Commissioner’s priorities.
Introduction
- This report provides an assessment of Bedfordshire Police’s effectiveness in supporting the delivering of Mission II: Putting Victims at the Heart of the Criminal Justice System and Mission IV: Protecting Women and Children, as set out in the Commissioner’s Police and Crime Plan 2024–2028. Drawing on evidence from operational activity, partnership work, prevention programmes and performance frameworks, the report demonstrates how the Force is translating the Commissioner’s priorities into operational delivery, while also identifying where sustained focus and further development are required.
Executive Summary
Putting Victims at the Heart of the Criminal Justice System
- The following report provides evidence of sustained improvement in Victims’ Code compliance and accessibility. Following a process change to Victims’ Code Right 3, identification of enhanced rights at first contact increased significantly between 2024 and 2025, with Individual Victim Needs Assessments now completed in the majority of cases and clear referral pathways into Bedfordshire Victim Care Services. Strong governance through the Force Victim Board, supported by the Victim and Witness Engagement Board and the Investigation Standards Delivery Board, provides scrutiny of victim code compliance, dip sampling, satisfaction surveys, and qualitative feedback, supporting the closure of HMICFRS AFI 9 and providing assurance that improvements are embedded. Early evidence suggests the Investigation Triage and Allocation Unit (ITAU) is delivering quicker victim contact, improved safeguarding advice and positive victim feedback.
- Despite improvements in professionalism and initial engagement, the report identifies timeliness and investigative communication as persistent weaknesses. Victim satisfaction during investigations remains low, with feedback consistently highlighting delays and insufficient updates as the primary drivers of dissatisfaction, a finding reinforced through Chief Inspector deep‑dive activity where communication failures remain the most common theme for improvement. Victim attrition also continues to present a significant challenge; while a comprehensive attrition analysis is underway, it remains in draft and its findings are not yet embedded into operational practice. Current evidence indicates disengagement is driven by service‑related barriers rather than unwillingness to support investigations, but this has yet to translate into a fully operational, whole‑system response across all crime types.
Protecting Women and Children
- The force is able to provide strong assurance around governance, safeguarding arrangements and the effective use of protective powers. Improvements to the PPU Hub have increased efficiency, reduced backlogs and strengthened oversight through daily demand dashboards and FDMM scrutiny, directly addressing HMICFRS AFI 12. The force has also significantly increased the use of DVPNs and DVPOs following clearer thresholds and policy expectations, supporting the closure of AFI 11 and delivering improvements in victim protection. Progress against national expectations is evidenced through delivery of the Angiolini Inquiry recommendations, with four of five local actions assessed as complete and independently assured by the NPCC, alongside recognition of the force’s mature approach to tackling internal misconduct. Effective prevention and early‑intervention activity is also evident, including education and diversion work across educational settings, and safeguarding‑led outcomes such as the successful use of a Stalking Prevention Order to prevent further harm in a complex online abuse case.
- Despite some strong assurances, the report identifies specialist workforce capability as a continuing area of challenge, particularly within RASSO and CID. Although overall establishment is close to budget, less than half of detective constable posts in some teams are filled by fully accredited detectives, with capability assessed as RED or AMBER across several functions. While mitigations are in place through training, redeployment and structural change, these pressures continue to impact investigative resilience. The report also highlights sustained growth in digital investigation demand, with ICAIT and DFU workloads increasing due to national referrals and the expanding digital footprint of crime. DFU backlogs have extended, presenting ongoing risks to investigative timeliness, bail management and victim confidence, despite sustained investment in specialist tools and in‑house capability.
Mission II: Putting Victims at the Heart of the Criminal Justice System
Victim Accessibility
- To ensure victim support and specialist support services are accessible to all victims, Officers and Crime Bureau staff receive training to identify victims entitled to enhanced rights, at the point a crime is recorded, and dip sampling identifies recording issues, for consideration by the Force Victims Board.
- A process change regarding victim right 3 – to be provided with information when reporting a crime – has led to significant improvements in relation to enhanced rights and victims being provided information. Between September 2024 and March 2025 between 45 and 120 victims were being provided with such information per month rising to over 1,000 every month between May 2025 and February 2026.
- Additionally, in the 12 months to February 2026, 96% of crimes had an Individual Victim Needs Assessment completed, in support of VCOP right 4 - to be referred to services that support victims and have services and support tailored to your needs. With 20% of victims referred to the Bedfordshire Victim Care Services.
A Better Service
- The force uses victim satisfaction data, qualitative feedback, and supervisory dip samples to assess service quality. Taken together, these measures indicate early improvement in professionalism and engagement, but persistent issues remain in timeliness and communication, particularly during investigations.
- Between 1st December 2025 and 28th February 2026, 156 Initial Attendance surveys recorded 65% satisfaction, an improvement from 53% in the previous period. Investigation survey satisfaction remained stable at 49% from 172 responses. The Mediated / High Harm survey resumed in February, with 75% satisfaction from 136 responses. Whilst improvements have been made in initial attendance and the high harm survey, there is still work to be done with investigations.
- Feedback continues to highlight wait times and frequency of updates as the main drivers of dissatisfaction, often linked to perceptions of lack of contact rather than professionalism. Officer professionalism is now one of the highest‑scoring areas. To address weaker themes, engagement activity has continued, including the “Step Into Their Shoes” campaign, targeted training for Crime Bureau and Neighbourhood Policing, and post‑tutorship learning. Listening Circles and Survivors’ Voice have provided qualitative assurance, with women reporting improved feelings of being listened to and supported.
- To improve accessibility, Bedfordshire is piloting translated Victim Satisfaction Surveys with GovMetric. AI‑enabled translation has been tested but remains unreliable for specialist terminology; a paid translation service is being scoped. In the interim, internal support is used to translate surveys where required, including recent requests for Lithuanian, Arabic, Punjabi, Albanian, Gujarati and Sylheti.
- Victim feedback is reviewed with dip sampling and Victims’ Code compliance reviews, which test safeguarding decisions and quality of engagement. Findings are considered through formal governance, including the Force Victim Board, providing ongoing oversight and assurance that changes in practice are embedding, particularly for women and children.
New Practice: Investigation Triage and Allocation Unit (ITAU)
On Monday 26th January 2026 a pilot Investigation Triage and Allocation Unit (ITAU) was introduced to improve victim experience. Delivering against the pledge to provide effective “customer service” from the point a crime is reported, the unit has provided quicker victim contact and updates and improved victim support, safeguarding and crime prevention advice. The unit has received the following feedback:
“you’ve done more than I thought you could and would be able to do so quickly”
“I reported something a little while ago, and I never even heard anything – thank you so much for taking the time to update me and explain everything to me”
“thank you so much for everything you have done. Thank you for listening to me and caring”
“thank you so much for connecting with me via an interpreter”
Victim Attrition
- Victim attrition continues to be monitored through the Victim Board and the Victim & Witness Engagement Board. A detailed analysis of victim attrition has been commissioned but remains in draft format. It examines the scale, causes, and patterns of victim attrition within Bedfordshire, drawing together national evidence, a detailed literature review, a quantitative dip-sample analysis of 40 Outcome 14 and 16 cases, and a mixed-methods review of victim survey responses. The mixed methods analysis provides a clear, evidence-based understanding of why victims disengage from police investigations, drawing on both quantitative ratings and rich qualitative accounts from thirty-three survey respondents. Together, the findings reveal a consistent pattern: victim withdrawal is rarely an expression of unwillingness. Instead, it overwhelmingly reflects service-related barriers, unmet needs, and procedural shortcomings experienced at early points in the investigative process. The full report is due in the first quarter of 2026/27.
- The use of Operation Soteria outcome 14 and 16 sub‑codes within Rape and Serious Sexual Offences investigations is being piloted to improve understanding of victim attrition and strengthen victim support. While outcomes 14 and 16 are commonly used to record cases where victims do not support further action, their generic application masks the complex and varied reasons behind disengagement, limiting the force’s ability to identify systemic issues and target improvements. The pilot introduces a structured set of Soteria‑aligned sub‑codes within the RASSO team to capture more detailed and meaningful data on victim decisions, investigative barriers and early safeguarding needs, supported by training, quality assurance and oversight through existing governance. The benefits include improved data quality, enhanced insight into victim experience, better‑informed investigative and safeguarding practice, and alignment with national best practice, with findings used to inform potential wider rollout across the force.
- SPRITE+, in collaboration with SALIENT and the Network for Security Excellence & Collaboration (NSEC), has offered grant funding of up to £50k for ten short projects as part of the Safer Streets initiative to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls between April and August 2026. Due to persistently high levels of victim attrition in rape and serious sexual offence (RASSO) and domestic abuse investigations a grant funding application has been made by the RASSO department to access this fund. Around three‑quarters of cases in Bedfordshire close due to victim disengagement and evidence of repeated victimisation among some of the most vulnerable individuals. Local analysis, supported by national findings from Operation Soteria, demonstrates that disengagement is driven not by a single factor but by delays, inconsistent communication, limited trauma‑informed practice and fragmented support across agencies. In the absence of a structured multi‑agency response, victims who withdraw from the criminal justice process often remain at significant risk, with safeguarding responsibilities unclear and support pathways inconsistently applied, increasing the likelihood of further harm.
- Funding from this grant will support the proposed Multi‑Agency Repeat Victimisation and Attrition Reduction Model (MARVAR), to embed whole‑system safeguarding, procedural justice and early intervention. MARVAR brings together a formal multi‑agency repeat victim pathway, enhanced victim engagement aligned to Soteria principles, and a digital dashboard to identify emerging risk, missed contact and repeat harm in real time. Delivered in partnership with statutory and specialist services and supported by academic evaluation, the model aims to reduce repeat victimisation, improve victim confidence and retention, and provide an evidence‑based approach to tackling violence against women and girls that strengthens safeguarding outcomes across the wider system. This project is being led by RASSO and a decision regarding the grant application is due by the end of March 2026.
Supervisory oversight
- Supervisory oversight is embedded at key stages of investigations, with sergeants and inspectors reviewing investigative quality, safeguarding decisions, victim contact and compliance with the Victims’ Code, particularly in crimes affecting women and children. VCOP compliance is monitored through supervisory review and thematic dip sampling, enabling assessment of whether victims are receiving their entitlements in practice rather than solely through policy adherence. Oversight is provided through the Force Victim Board, which brings together compliance data, victim satisfaction and qualitative feedback to identify risk and embed learning, supported by scrutiny through the Investigation Standards Delivery Board and senior leadership to ensure accountability and sustained improvement in frontline practice. Since July 2025, a total of 758 Chief Inspector deep dives have been completed and the findings of these are discussed each month in the ISDB. The most consistent theme centres around communication with victims, whether it be sending them crime details or keeping them updated.
Criminal Justice Partnership
- The protection and care of victims is delivered through Criminal Justice System partnership working rather than policing activity in isolation. Victim safeguarding and outcomes are progressed through structured multi‑agency meetings and operational collaboration. This is evidenced through formal safeguarding partnership arrangements and scrutiny structures that bring together Bedfordshire Police, National Probation Service, NHS partners including East London Foundation Trust and Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust, local authorities and specialist Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations to address harm, vulnerability and repeat victimisation collectively rather than sequentially.
- Multi‑agency safeguarding boards provide strategic oversight of victim‑related themes such as child sexual abuse, domestic abuse and mental health, while joint quality assurance and learning mechanisms scrutinise outcomes, ensure consistent application of thresholds and embed learning from reviews. A recent example is the partnership’s response to rising reports of child sexual abuse – particularly online, peer‑on‑peer incidents involving under‑16s – has been collectively scrutinised through safeguarding boards, with police, health and education partners jointly reviewing trends, thresholds and outcomes to ensure consistency and proportionate intervention, including the appropriate use of diversion and education alongside criminal justice processes.
Next Steps
- Translate victim attrition insight into operational change
Finalise and publish the various victim attrition analysis and use the findings to inform investigation standards, victim contact expectations and safeguarding responses, building on the pilot use of Soteria outcome 14 and 16 sub codes.
- Improve consistency of communication during investigations
Address the recurring communication issues identified through Chief Inspector deep dives and victim feedback by strengthening supervisory grip on victim updates, particularly during investigative delays and digital evidence processes.
Mission IV: Protecting Women and Children
Investment in Resourcing and Training
Crime & Public Protection Command
- Four teams in the Crime & Public Protection Command lead investigations of rape, domestic abuse, child abuse and child exploitation: CID, Protecting Vulnerable People (PVP), Rape and Serious Sexual Offences (RASSO) and the CSE and Missing Investigation Team (CMIT). As of 12th March 2026, these teams had a combined 313.51 officers and staff, 93.3% of their budgeted establishment.
- Detective capability is lower than establishment figures suggest, with many detective constable posts filled by trainee detectives, police constables or student officers, with detective constable strength expected to stay similar until at least May 2026. Less than half of detective constable posts in CID and RASSO are filled by fully qualified detectives. This is reflected in the 2025 Strategic Demand and Asset Assessment, which assessed workforce capability as RED in RASSO and AMBER in CID, PVP and CMIT, indicating ongoing impact on effectiveness.
|
|
DC posts |
Filled DC posts (% of budget) |
% qualified DCs |
% trainee DCs |
% PCs |
% students |
|
CID |
115 |
107.6 (93.6%) |
49.6 (46.1%) |
9 (8.4%) |
13 (12.1%) |
36 (33.5%) |
|
PVP |
38 |
32.9 (86.6%) |
19.9 (60.5%) |
4 (12.2%) |
6 (18.2%) |
3 (9.1%) |
|
RASSO |
34 |
23.5 (69.2%) |
9.9 (41.9%) |
4 (17.0%) |
7.7 (32.6%) |
2 (8.5%) |
Source: Nectar Organisational Applications, accessed 13th February 2026
- RASSO capacity and capability is being strengthened through increased PIP 2 qualification and delivery of Specialist Sexual Assault Investigators Development Programme (SSAIDP) and Serious and Witness Interview Course (SWIC) training as part of the Soteria programme, supported by targeted redeployments. To date 108 candidates have completed the SWIC course the majority of which are from CID, PVP, and RASSO. 17 candidates have completed the SSAID programme and with the majority of them being from RASSO and PVP.
- A local skills and training register provides visibility of specialist capability, identify gaps and target training. Detective capacity and progression are monitored monthly through the Information Standards Delivery Board, supported by force‑wide capability mapping. Officer development combines classroom learning, tutoring and specialist input, with a focus on vulnerability identification and safeguarding. Specialist teams deliver ongoing role‑specific training, including CSE, missing persons, protection orders and the Voice of the Child. Quarterly CPD days and protected casework time support continuous development, while Nectar is strengthening understanding of current skills to inform future workforce planning. This directly addresses HMICFRS AFI 8.
Internet Child Abuse Investigation Team (ICAIT)
- The force’s proactive and preventative ICAIT continues to experience a sustained and significant rise in operational demand, with year‑on‑year increases in both volume and complexity. Multiple streams of intelligence now feed into the unit. The primary driver remains the National Crime Agency (NCA), which receives reports directly from social media and technology companies when suspected child abuse material is detected on their platforms. As these companies enhance their detection capabilities, the volume of referrals disseminated to Bedfordshire Police continues to increase.
- In addition to NCA generated intelligence, ICAIT manages demand originating from the Force Contact Room, in‑house peer‑to‑peer investigations, Online Child Abuse Activist Groups (OCAG), Foreign Force Transfers, and Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) safeguarding referrals. The team also undertakes investigations involving registered sex offenders managed by IOM when further offending is identified.
Referral Volumes
2023: 385
2024: 549 (42.6% increase)
2025: 673 (22.6% increase)
- To manage this escalating demand, ICAIT prioritises enforcement activity, executing between two and five warrants per week where offenders are identified. However, rising pressures have necessitated a reassessment of previous working practices. Some lower‑risk safeguarding activity has been deprioritised to ensure resources remain aligned to the highest‑threat investigations.
Digital Forensics Unit (DFU)
- Demand for the DFU increases, on average, by around 30% per year. This is almost double that of the national average, at around 18%. The increase in demand is the result of up to 90% of crime now having a digital element. Due the increase in demand, the DFU backlog has grown from around 17 weeks to 30 weeks, this was previously managed down using overtime hours. This is an issue as the Service Level Agreements to commence work on an exhibit are not being met.
- This increase in demand is a concern as UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service), who provide accreditation on behalf of the Forensic Science Regulator ask about the force plans to deal with demand. The unit uses the GrayKey FasTrak tools which alleviate bottlenecks. This is a tool supplied by Magnet Forensics. It costs £55k for the year, on top of the GrayKey licence, an additional £50k. It is vital that investigators are provided with timely evidential data to adhere to bail periods and support remand applications.
- Further pressure arises from the rapidly advancing mobile phone security and the requirement to preserve and retain large volumes of digital data for extended periods due to court delays. The DFU currently manages 1.4 petabytes of data, backed up for resilience, with both storage at capacity, requiring daily risk‑based decisions and ICT intervention to prevent system failure. Storage solutions, including cloud options, are increasingly expensive, as are the specialist forensic tools required to access encrypted devices, with licence costs rising well above historic norms. These tools are essential to supporting high‑harm investigations, enabling timely bail decisions, remand applications and improved outcomes for victims. While outsourcing forensic work is possible, it would be significantly more expensive and would result in reduced service quality for the criminal justice system and victims, making continued in‑house capability the most effective option despite rising costs.
- The table below shows the current investment in resourcing in the Cyber Hub.
|
Cyber Hub |
Budget |
Strength |
||||
|
All |
Officers |
Staff |
All |
Officers |
Staff |
|
|
DMIT |
12 |
9 |
3 |
14 |
9 |
5 |
|
DFU |
14 |
5 |
9 |
13.23 |
5 |
8.23 |
|
ICAIT |
12 |
7 |
5 |
16 |
11 |
5 |
Source: Nectar Organisational Applications, accessed 25th March 2026
Identifying patterns and threats
- The force invests in its Intelligence Analysis and Research allowing both officers and staff to consistently recognise and deal with issues of crime against women and children. This was recently highlighted with by the identification of a series of exposures in Bedford - Operation Caladium and a series of exposures in Leagrave.
- There has been a significant evolution in the modus operandi of CSE offences- with a considerable rise in offences being facilitated by the digital space, via social media platforms such as Snapchat. Children and young people have greater access to these platforms than ever before, and offences can be committed with greater anonymity in the online environment. Snapchat remains the force’s largest threat in relation to child sexual exploitation. Analysis of the current CSAE crime dataset shows that 226 (15.6%) crimes referenced Snapchat in the Initial MO and/or Incident Summary, but the true scale could be far greater. This is a rise from the 11% noted previously. The most notable offences since the last profile include Operation Acheson (Bedfordshire) and Operation Blackburn (Surrey) and both highlight the true threat that Snapchat poses.
The Angiolini Inquiry
- Sixteen recommendations were made by the Angiolini inquiry, five of which are owned locally by forces. They are summarised as:
- Recommendation 1 – the need for a specialist policy on investigating all sexual offences, including so-called ‘non-contact’ offences, such as indecent exposure. Bedfordshire status: Complete
- Recommendation 7 - new candidates applying to become a police officer need an in-person interview and home visit. Bedfordshire status: Incomplete (see point 11.4)
- Recommendation 12 - all existing and prospective officers and staff need to be informed that they must be held to a higher standard of behaviour and accountability than members of the public. And that their right to privacy can be fettered. Bedfordshire status: Complete
- Recommendation 14 - the force should commit publicly to being an anti-sexist, anti-misogynistic, anti-racist organisation. This includes properly addressing – and taking steps to root out – so-called ‘banter’ that often veils or excuses malign or toxic behaviour in police ranks. Bedfordshire status: Complete
- Recommendation 15 - take action to understand and confront the barriers that police officers and staff face when reporting sexual offences committed by a person that they work with or in the workplace. Bedfordshire status: Complete
- Since the publication of the Angiolini Inquiry recommendations, Bedfordshire Police has progressed in the areas for which it holds responsibility. Independent national scrutiny by the NPCC has confirmed significant progress across almost all recommendations, resulting in the force no longer being required to submit ongoing assurance returns.
- Of the five recommendations owned locally, four have been assessed as complete, including the introduction of specialist sexual offence investigation policies, clear reinforcement of higher standards of behaviour and accountability for officers and staff, and a public commitment to being an anti-sexist, anti-misogynistic and anti-racist organisation. These have been embedded through revised policies, training, leadership development, mandatory learning, governance arrangements and alignment with existing delivery frameworks such as the Police Race Action Plan and violence against women and girls workstreams.
- The remaining recommendation (Recommendation 7) – relates to pre-employment processes, specifically in‑person interviews and home visits and reflects a national rather than local issue. Bedfordshire Police do not currently conduct home visits, People and Workforce and BCH HR are satisfied this remains the appropriate position. The recommendation remains unachieved nationally, with the NPCC and College of Policing developing alternative approaches.
- The force has been recognised for its mature and well‑established approach to supporting officers and staff to report sexual misconduct, including confidential and anonymous reporting routes, specialist wellbeing support, leadership accountability and external advocacy. This provides strong strategic assurance that the Angiolini recommendations have been delivered locally and embedded into business‑as‑usual practice, with governance in place to sustain progress.
Education
- The Education & Diversion team work with partners to prevent violence against women and girls by focusing on early intervention and challenging the attitudes and behaviours of men and boys. They provide schools with access to Pol Ed resources and support them to deliver lessons and assemblies linked to healthy relationships and have also developed their own “Boundaries & Respectful Relationships” assembly to promote positive behaviours. Their work includes targeted engagement with sixth form centres and universities, as well as a partnership with the Blues Foundation to engage boys’ groups. They support parents and carers through awareness sessions, contribute to school forums, and encourage referrals into their diversion caseload. The team are exploring opportunities to involve individuals with lived experience to strengthen the authenticity and impact of their work. They use innovative tools such as VR content and remain active in the community through Safer Streets engagement. They have also supported a Theatre in Education programme, which has helped improve young people’s understanding of sexual violence and how to act safely as an active bystander.
Safeguarding
- The PPU Hub operates as the single point of entry for safeguarding referrals relating to vulnerable children and adults, ensuring crime‑threshold cases are recorded in line with national standards. Safeguarding performance is overseen by a dedicated QA Manager, supported by force‑wide development activity, multi‑agency audits across all three MASHs and regular partnership meetings with police, local authorities and health, providing shared oversight and continuous improvement. This directly addresses HMICFRS AFI 12.
- The efficiency of the Public Protection Unit (PPU) Hub has improved, and previous backlogs have been managed down. A PPU Hub Daily Demand Power BI dashboard has been created which shows Child Protection, Vulnerable Adult, Domestic Abuse referrals, and DVDS applications. This has led to improved reporting and management of backlogs through the Force Daily Management Meeting (FDMM) and given the PPU Hub the ability to track current and outstanding demand, whilst spikes still occur they are managed quickly so referral backlogs don’t remain high.
- The force is strengthening information sharing through its partnership with Nectar, using AI‑enabled tools to improve referral triage, reduce backlogs and support timely onward referral to MASHs. The Child Protection AI referral tool has been operational since October 2025, with a Vulnerable Adults tool planned for 2026. These developments, alongside tighter referral thresholds, Operation Encompass and refreshed protocols for children missing education, support the longer‑term ambition of a more integrated, data‑led multi‑agency safeguarding hub.
- In the 12 months to February 2025 the force received 1,804 Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (DVDS) applications. 622 of these applications resulted in a disclosure being made to the applicant with them being finalised on average in 30 days. During the same period 110 Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme (CSODS) applications were received. 27 of these application resulted in a disclosure being made, with an average of 22 days for these applications to be finalised. The DVD scheme is a significant force commitment in preventing VAWG.
- In many MVAWG‑related cases, the powers that protect, restrict and support—Stalking Prevention Orders, DVPNs, DVPOs, bail conditions, risk assessments and partnership safeguarding – can create the breathing room victims need, and the structure offenders need, to prevent further harm. This directly addresses HMICFRS AFI 11.
- Recent cases in Bedfordshire have highlighted how thoughtful, victim‑centred policing can prevent harm in case of male violence against women and girls (MVAWG). Outcomes from the two different case studies in this report have demonstrated how officers are using safeguarding powers and the real-world impact this can have on victims.
Next Steps
- Strengthen specialist investigative capability
Continue delivery of PIP 2, SSAIDP, and SWIC training and monthly capability monitoring, to increase the proportion of fully qualified detectives and reduce the RED workforce assessment in RASSO.
- Manage rising digital demand and forensic backlogs
Maintain investment in DFU and cyber capability, including specialist tools and storage solutions, to address increasing demand, meet service level expectations and support timely safeguarding and criminal justice outcomes.
- Embed whole system safeguarding responses for repeat harm
Progress the proposed Multi Agency Repeat Victimisation and Attrition Reduction Model (MARVAR), supported by NSEC Safer Streets funding, to ensure a reduction in victim disengagement from the criminal justice process and continue safeguarding through consistent, multi-agency pathways.
Areas for Improvement – Progress
AFI 9 – The force needs to make sure it complies with the Victims’ Code –Now Closed
- Compliance with the Victims’ Code is overseen through the Force Victim Board, supported by the Victim and Witness Engagement Board and daily operational oversight. Governance focuses on performance against the 12 VCOP rights, delivery of actions within the Victim Board Delivery Plan and assurance activity including dip sampling and victim feedback. Training and awareness activity is embedded through mandated VCOP training, victim champions across functions and ongoing communications such as the Step Into Their Shoes campaign, providing consistent reinforcement of victim entitlements across the force.
- Bedfordshire Police has undertaken a comprehensive programme of improvements to ensure full compliance with the Victims’ Code, following HMICFRS’s earlier finding that the force did not consistently meet victims’ entitlements. Since 2022, the force has strengthened its governance, training, performance monitoring, and victim focused processes. Key developments include establishing a fully operational Force Victim Board—now meeting since November 2024—which scrutinises compliance across all 12 Victims’ Code rights, drives improvements, and holds departments to account. A dedicated Victims’ tactical lead and trained victim champions (now totalling 120 staff across all commands) have been embedded to support colleagues, provide guidance, deliver training, and ensure consistent quality in victim contact.
- Performance monitoring has been significantly enhanced through the creation of a dedicated Victims’ Code Power BI dashboard, enabling detailed analysis by crime type, team, and entitlement. This has resulted in strong performance improvements across multiple rights—for example, Right 3 (information provided when reporting a crime) has risen from 45–120 monthly instances in 2024/25 to consistently over 1,000 per month from May 2025. The force has also delivered targeted training on the Victims’ Code, refreshed IVNA (Initial Victim Needs Assessment) guidance, improved completion rates to 94.9%, and implemented new processes to ensure enhanced rights are correctly identified. Communication materials—including posters, leaflets, and monthly rights focused messaging—have been distributed to reinforce expectations and support officers.
- HMICFRS has closed AFI 9 because Bedfordshire Police has demonstrated sustained, measurable progress and put in place the governance, systems, and training necessary to ensure victims now receive their entitlements consistently. The Force Victim Board, enhanced Power BI capability, widespread training, improved IVNA completion and oversight, and the introduction of victim champions collectively show a strong and embedded approach to improving victim care. These changes provide evidence that the force now understands victims’ needs more fully, is able to monitor compliance effectively, and is consistently acting on areas requiring improvement—meeting the required standard for the AFI to be considered complete.
AFI 10 – The force doesn’t consistently achieve acceptable outcomes for victims.
- The force has delivered a number of key improvements, including the establishment of clear and sustainable processes for detective recruitment and training, with AFI 8 formally signed off by HMICFRS. Governance and oversight of victim-related activity has been strengthened through the introduction of the Force Victim Board in November 2024, providing clearer accountability and focus on victim outcomes. Performance has begun to show improvement, with a gradual increase in the solved crime rate, although this remains below both the national average. These improvements have been supported by strong governance and scrutiny through the Investigations and Serious Crime Delivery Board (ISDB), helping to maintain momentum and ensure continued focus on investigative standards and outcomes.
- Key remaining activity is focused on strengthening investigative resilience, this includes delivery of a detective resilience programme to stabilise capacity and capability. Alongside this there will be an update to the victim‑based crime strategy. Further work is required to expand the appropriate use of Outcome 16 (OoCR) within CID, ensuring it is applied consistently and with appropriate supervisory oversight. Finally, action is needed to improve forensic identification solved rates, supporting stronger evidential outcomes and increasing the likelihood of offences being brought to justice.
AFI 11 – The force should increase its use of preventive orders and make sure it monitors compliance to keep victims safe – Now Closed
- Domestic Violence Protection Notices (DVPNs) and Orders (DVPOs) are used to provide immediate protection to victims where there is insufficient evidence to charge. Prior to 2025, use of these powers was limited. Following the introduction of a revised process and clear thresholds for issue in April 2025, use of DVPNs and DVPOs has increased significantly through 2025 and into early 2026. Policy expectations have been reinforced across CID requiring consideration of a DVPN or DVPO in all domestic abuse cases where suspects are bailed, released under investigation or no‑further‑actioned, providing greater consistency in victim protection. The number of issued DVPNs has risen from the low single figures throughout 2024/25 to a high of 43 in February 2026. A similar pattern can be seen for DVPOs.
- Implementation has been supported by technology designed to improve consistency and efficiency, including the Nectar Chronology Builder, which automates domestic abuse chronologies and reduces officer workload. Knowledge and experience have been spread through supervisory transfers and team brigading ahead of the CID–Emerald merger, with consistent supervision now in place. Wider training has been delivered on protection orders across specialist teams, and processes for applying for Violent Offender Orders are under review to strengthen use of protective powers.
|
Present: |
|
John Tizard, Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) |
|
Trevor Rodenhurst, Chief Constable – Police Service (CC) |
|
In Attendance: |
|
Phil Wells, Deputy Chief Officer – Police Service (PW) |
|
John Murphy, Assistant Chief Constable – Police Service (JM) |
|
Jaki Whittred, Assistant Chief Constable – Police Service (JW) |
|
Sharn Basra, Chief Executive – OPCC (SB) |
|
Lara Lewis, Staff Officer – PCC (LL) |
|
Katy Watts, Staff Officer – CC (KW) |
|
Hannah Draycott, Staff Officer – DCO (HD) |
Wednesday 25 January 2026
|
Agenda Item
|
|
|
Item 1:
Welcome Minutes
|
PCC opened the meeting. Minutes of the previous meeting were agreed. |
|
Item 2: Actions |
There are some outstanding actions relating to spotlight reports that will be closed in later meetings. PCC will be meeting with Chair of the Bench to discuss use of DVPO/DVPNs. SB ensuring work plan of the Police and Crime Panel is aligned with spotlight report schedule. |
|
Item 3: Performance
Serious Crime and Prevention |
PCC said that he welcomes the linkage of the spotlight reports to the objectives in the Police and Crime Plan but in future he would like the spotlight reports to include:
· case studies · Evidence of outcomes and impact · Challenges and issues yet to be addressed · some performance data
ACTION: SB and PW to review the format JM presented report as a combined report on serious crime and prevention due to the close connection between the two missions. The paper sets out some of the work the Police have undertaken to tackle and disrupt serious and organised crime and prevent both organised crime and serious violence. There is a sustained commitment to partnership working with all agencies including local authorities, and the Violence and Exploitation Prevention Partnership (VEPP).
There is a focus on safeguarding vulnerable children from criminality and exploitation.
JM highlighted importance of sufficient funding for specialist teams as Boson and Costello would not be sustained without future Special Grant funding/ PCC commented that these services would have to be continued even without the special grants so other services would have reduced resources. There has been a reduction in homicides over previous years – only 2 in last 12 months. This is due to partnership prevention work. On prevention, JM highlighted:
CC added that there is also evidence of success in other crime type areas. For example, an increase in Clare’s Law referrals has reduced domestic violence. There have been no domestic homicides since the inception of Clare’s Law AI tool which has taken the number of suggested interventions to more than 1000 so far this year. DVPOs are also being used more and enforced by community teams, allowing the management of offenders within the communities. CC feels police are working better with partners overall. There is some improvement still required but focus on prevention has vastly improved.
PCC thanked JM for the report and said that prevention should be a focus of the organisation as a whole, not only for community policing team.
PCC asked what success would look like in terms of prevention, in order to justify investment. What would be the key KPIs? He would wish to see proposals for KPIs.
CC responded that not only can this be measured by a reduction in recorded serious crime, but also in terms of hotspot areas no longer being hotspots, and even other factors such as a reduction in missing people cases.
JM has been looking into key measures and reviewing cultural elements – how prevention is spoken about throughout the organisation. Often, the police focus on overall crime numbers and ASB but that needs to be expanded and developed into an evaluation of harm reduction. This includes reducing repeat offences in areas such as DA.
ACTION: CC to propose KPIs for prevention and bring to P&G Board in next spotlight report
PCC asked how the police service will work across teams to collaborate on prevention work now that there is no superintendent with this responsibility
JM said there are mechanisms and meetings in place to share information and ensure whole police service arrangements.
Superintendents across the commands are collaborating on new ways to reduce demand and improve prevention, this will be presented to leaders as a possible new model for both policing and partners.
PCC asked how ‘think prevention’ can be embedded across the police services to ensure a positive impact?
PCC asked what work has been done to prevent crimes such as burglary and vehicle crime in the same way that domestic homicides have been reduced through Clare’s Law referrals.
CC said there is still more to be done, such as proactively working with prisons and probation on releases of known offenders. However there have been some real success through offender management and the prolific offender scheme.
PCC said that he and the police should have a better understanding of the causes of crime including social and economic causes and address these with partners.
CC said that data and technology allow for the development of more tailored programmes including those such as school intervention programmes.
JW mentioned recent partnership prevention programme in Wixams where emergency services have worked together to address issues. PCC welcomed this.
PCC noted that many services are in place to support children excluded from schools but there must be more action to prevent and reduce exclusions. The CC agreed
ACTION: PCC to raise this with the VEPP, local authorities and MATS and press for a county wide strategy
In terms of serious crime, PCC noted that there is no comparative position from the statistics on Boson and Costello in the report as they relate to different periods of time. The report does not reflect the disproportionate level of serious crime faced by Bedfordshire.
CC said these points will be addressed in future reports, including showing improvements in solved crime rates.
ACTION: The CC will share the statistics prepared for HMICFRS on serious crime with the PCC
PCC noted that 25% of all intelligence submissions are provided by members of the public. He asked what the outcome was of these and how this can be communicated to the public to highlight the impact of reporting.
CC said the force won’t provide specific fee back but we should be doing all they can to let communities know when enforcement action has taken place.
ACTION: Future Prevention report to include full report of performance against Prevention KPIs (April meeting).
|
|
Item 4: Risk |
PW noted that there is a new risk around SAS (BCH Collaboration) in that the impact of cost savings of collaboration could be putting pressure back onto front line in police service services. DBS performance had been highlighted at the recent BCH SAS, but PW reassured that this has now been dealt with PCC said he required more data to be assured that DBS performance is on track. ACTION - DBS to be included in next JCOB report to the P&G Board Performance meetings
|
|
Item 5: Finance
|
It was noted that these reports have been presented to the Police and Crime Panel and that there was no need for further interrogation. PCC asked if capital is sufficient for requirements?
PW said it should be. PW reported that the 2025/26 revenue overspend should be under £1m at year end. PCC said that this was good and thanked the CC and PW for getting a grip on the forecast overspend. PCC asked what implications of risk action might have on workforce or performance. PW said there has been no decline in performance and overtime can now be targeted to be allocated where there is need for it, such as to ensure a smooth handover between shifts. PCC and PW agreed that by the end of 2026/27 reserves must be at 2.5%. PCC asked when he can expect to have sight of a revised Estates strategy.
PW said there will be an updated version later this year to take into account work on operating model and some of the future geographic model required. ACTION: to receive Estates strategy by November 2026. The finance reports were received |
|
AOB |
None. |
|
Item 1:
Welcome Minutes
|
PCC opened the meeting. Minutes of the previous meeting were agreed. |
|
Item 2: Actions |
There are some outstanding actions relating to victims and protecting women and children would be covered by spotlight reports at the March meeting of the Board. The actions relating to excellence in policing would be covered by spotlight reports presented at the May meeting of the Board. One action relating to the PCC engaging with Magistrates on the use of conditional cautions is ongoing as PCC continues to seek to engage. |
|
Item 4:
Information Document |
The PCC asked about the attendance surveys and post-investigation surveys, noting the low number of completions, and the fact that 48% of dissatisfaction was in the Patrol function. CC agreed that this must be improved and believes that reducing demand through improving the allocation of crimes will have a direct positive impact on satisfaction. |
|
Item 3 Performance: Bedfordshire Police
|
PCC noted that in preparation for the HMICFRS inspection there are essential performance improvements required to be made in terms of responding to incidents and improving initial investigation at these incidents. PCC is aware of planned changes to a new operating model, on which the Chief Constable will brief the PCC separately.
CC explains force priorities are:
To support these priorities CC explained focus is: · Optimising efficiencies through roll out of advanced technologies and operating model refinement. · Ongoing work around the categorisation of ‘immediate’ incidents · Relentless focus on leadership and performance at team and individual level · Improving DA crime to arrest rates · Operating model refinement to drive efficiency · Speed up desk-based triage and initial investigation to reduce crime workloads · Better use of community resolutions and preventative orders · Filling community hub vacancies
JM provided report on overall police performance over the quarter, highlighting: Responding to the public · Force Control Room/Patrol performance is fairly level statistically with some improvements in December when demand was relatively low. Answering 999 in under 10 seconds · 101 - answering priority calls in under 2 minutes and answering others in under 7 minutes. Now making improvements to 101 call back option, (where caller to 101 requests a call back within the hour rather than waiting) which are currently made between 7 and 57 minutes of the option being selected. · Arrival time – almost 50% of immediate calls attended within 15 minutes and almost 70% in 20 minutes. There is a need for this to be improved further, and there will be a review of how immediate incidents are categorised and defined. However noting that this is an improving picture. · Ensuring that Patrol and Control Room supervisors are working closely together to ensure resources are fully utilised including JPS resources
PCC noted that 999 call answering remains at a good standard. PCC asked how many attempts are made to return a 101 call as part of the call-back process? CC – confirmed three attempts are made and he will seek to provide information on number of failed attempts at call backs (3 attempts not answer). If communication and managing of expectation can be improved that will help callers. PCC agreed.
PCC noted that arrival times have somewhat improved, but more work needed. He asked how long it is expected to take to see evidence of this? CC – Expects improvements to continue at a steady rate. Work is underway to adopt the threshold for immediate incidents applied by the three highest performing police services and by moving to swifter dispatch while THRIVE+ assessment continues.
PCC asked if there are geographical differences in response times? PCC asked if comparisons can be drawn between teams. CC – yes – we can compare attendance times and solved rates between teams and indeed right down to individual team members. The executive is holding meetings to discuss expectations and looking at performance, concerns and managing information. Chief Constable wants leaders to be more engaged in managing availability of units and utilising other resources such as community teams or JPS resources. PCC asked when technology in cars can be improved? CC emphasised that response is a clear priority for all frontline leaders. Recorded crime JM - Core priority areas have been burglary, personal robbery, theft from motor vehicle, ASB and knife crime. There has been a specific focus on prevention of these, which has led to a reduction in all these other than personal robbery. JM - Overall, solved more crime than ever during this performance year, with solved rate currently at 13.1%. There is a long term upward trajectory that continues to show signs of improving in a sustainable way. PCC noted that although there is steady improvement in overall solved rates it is not at the same rate as other forces. CC – commented that not all forces have the same resourcing and therefore some with relatively more resources v demand are able to accelerate more quickly. His focus in on the Bedfordshire overall direction of travel. JM - The number of outstanding suspects has decreased significantly, and triaging of crimes has already seen some improvement - Patrol has less than 1600 assigned crimes with a very high turnover of crimes. JM - Crime screening should improve with new initial triage assessment unit. Robbery JM – There have been elevated levels of personal robbery this year. Solved offences are steadily improving - 31% solved rate in December including the arrest and charge of some prolific offenders. Out of 49 offences in November, 42% of those were drugs related and 30% did not have a victim willing to engage with police. Frequent challenge of crimes of this nature. Business robbery JM - There has been a very significant spike in business robberies over the quarter due to Home Office required recording changes - most of these are shoplifting offences (when assessed by CPS) - 85% are where a retail worker has intervened in a shoplifting incident. The police need retailers to report and provide CCTV in a timely way. CC – the police are complying with crime recording standard changes, but there is not always alignment between CPS charging rules and police recording rules which causes a restriction on charge rates. The PCC offered to support engagement with retailers. CC – Policing are arresting more people and putting them in front of courts but they are unlikely to receive significant custodial sentences therefore joint agency prevention plans are key to provide drug and alcohol referrals to break cycle of offending. In addition working with retailers to ensure they position stock well, report efficiently, install cameras etc. Also disrupting organised drug crime as much as possible as there is a direct link to acquisitive crime. PCC noted that airport is a hotspot for retail crime. What work being done with the airport and is it significantly higher in Luton than other airports? CC - Have been trying to work with airport to manage stock better in duty free etc. Has been a long-term issue due to layout of shopping section of the airport with a reluctance to reposition stock. Burglary JM reported that there were 93 burglaries in December, 75 of which were home-based burglaries. This has been reduced by 10% compared to last year. Solved crime rate continues to be around 20% which is high by nationally comparison, and the Op Maze burglary team is small but performing very well. PCC asked learning can be taken from Op Maze to other areas? Antisocial behaviour JM - not a huge amount to report this quarter – following seasonal trends. Bedfordshire Police continue to work with local authorities in terms of the shared responsibilities in this area and welcome any council commitments to assist in terms of prevention, CCTV, lighting. Opportunities to improve technology to use CCTV more effectively. Bedford have received Home Office funding for Op Salus patrolling officers. Hate crime JM – recorded levels have been lower in recent months. Now working with OPCC on avenues to report, considering utilising third parties. Strong cohesion within the county is important to combat hate crime and identify tensions. Solved rate is currently over 28% which is encouraging, PCC - there is a gap between the level of anxiety in communities and the level of reported hate crime. PCC also recognises that not all anxiety will be related to a crime. JM – the community cohesion team is working communities to address these issues. CC – there is a lot of unpleasant stuff being said online which is not criminal but it nether the less effects communities.
Domestic abuse JM has some concern around both the solved rate and rate of repeat offenders and victims in domestic abuse, which will be explored in detail in readiness to present paper at next month’s board. Leaders are engaging with the teams, and more resources are being deployed but the rates are not necessarily improving at a fast rate. This is why CC is focussing on this, and closely monitoring and scrutinising, to be discussed at next meeting. PCC - when will we see this improvement? Over next quarter? Also asked for response times for DA incidents to be included in report. PCC - is there sufficient resource in Emerald (domestic abuse team) and others? Rape and serious sexual offences JM reported that the force is currently recording around 65 offences per month of this nature, with a solved crime rate of 6.25%. There is good leadership in the team but evidence of challenges due to pressure and resourcing stemming from sickness and other factors. Will be looking to provide more resources and resilience. PCC asked what progress is being made against Op Soteria? CC – good progress is being made against the action plan however the time these cases take to get through the CJ system is slow. Will cover in next meeting's paper Drugs Focus Desk PCC asked how the new team is progressing, and given the data and the success of the unit, is there sufficient resource to manage the demand? JM - 105% increase in demand since inception - maintaining 60% detection rate and closing a county line every 8 days. A warrant carried out every two days and working closely with other teams including Boson. Now taking on some significant investigations so workload is very high, and this must is being reviewed and features as part of the operating model review. PCC thanked JM for report. |
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Joint Protective Services
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KT presented highlights from report on JPS performance (collaborated units from Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire). Armed policing · There has been some concern around a gap in resources, but this will be filled by new intake. · Firearms incidents have been gradually reducing. Team often supports frontline policing in Bedfordshire. · New tasers in place with training to begin in March. Will be rolled out across the force. Road’s policing · Biggest area of challenge due to fleet and vacancies. Working to resolve fleet issues with fleet provider alongside Hertfordshire. · New shift pattern - now aligned to demand - allows more availability at rush hour · Officers carried out lots of stops over Christmas around drink and drugs Dogs unit · Has been some restrictions on the team due to retirements of dogs and handlers. Now improving. · New performance framework for JPS focussed on specialisms / attendance times · Dangerous dogs – there is still a significant problem with kennelling dangerous dogs and discussions are taking place with the Court Service to see if there can be an expedited court process. Operational Support unit · Overtime including drone overtime is increasing · Changing capability to allow drones to be used in highly populated areas · Some changes to Level 2 public order courses to ensure financial efficiency Civil contingency unit · Working to reduce requirements in relation to Multi Agency plans and all ensuring all exercises are completed
Major Crime unit · Slightly above rolling 12-month average for homicide but Bedfordshire homicide levels are low. Sadly, there was 1 murder in each force area the over last weekend. (recorded homicides for Bedfordshire financial year to date is 2) Scientific Support unit · May be some delays in forensic assessments but should not heavily impact Bedfordshire. PCC thanked KT for report and asked about high level of MCU cases that do not proceed because witnesses and victims are not prepared to support. KT – some victims of kidnappings and other serious offences are not cooperative due to affiliations. |
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Eastern Region Special Operations Unit |
PCC noted that he had attended the recent ERSOU board where all the issues in the report had been scrutinised and he was satisfied with the outcomes.
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Item 4: Risk |
The key risks are: · the financial position, the accelerated cause for concern in BCH Firearms and Explosive Licensing Unit. · performance of local mental health services. CC has previously raised concern around operational restrictions caused by lack of cooperation within ELFT as part of the Right Care Right Person programme. Has now been a positive shift following CC and PCC escalation. · the recent coroner’s court ruling on the unlawful death. · Management of asylum accommodation in the county.
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Item 5: Quarterly Reporting Efficiency – Finance
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PW presented financial update and highlighted: Last Friday, the Home Secretary and the Policing Minister announced the second part of the provisional settlement. This highlighted that a further £50M was being put into policing, albeit this is being ringfenced for Neighbourhood Policing, of which the Bedfordshire share is £0.476M. This still leaves Bedfordshire approximately £1.224M short of the funding we had assumed would receive, increasing the level of savings required from £5.2M to £6.42M
In their letter, the Home Secretary and the policing minister made the following statement in relation to the Neighbourhood Policing grant:
“Having considered feedback from forces on the provisional settlement, I have decided to provide an additional £50m which will be used to support the government’s neighbourhood policing objectives. This means total police funding to police forces will be up to £18.4bn, an increase of £796m compared to 2025-26, a 4.5% cash increase and a 2.3% real terms increase.”
The 4.5% cash increase referred to is only achievable if I raise the Council Tax by the maximum allowed under the government’s capping regime of £15 per annum at the Band D average, an increase of 5.3%. Police grants including the ringfenced Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee Grant only increased by 3.3%. There has been no decision yet from the Home Office on our all-important special grants.
Whilst the settlement announcement suggests that it reflects a real terms increase of 2.5%, this does not reflect current levels of inflation which in essence means that the service has to start in a deficit position, increasing the need for greater savings/cuts I am conscious of the fact, despite requiring significant savings this year, that this Settlement is expected to be the best of the three announced in the 3 year CSR.
Our reserves are low in comparison to others and currently there is no provision for capital expenditure which in future years may impact on our ability to implement innovative technology that provides the ability to improve productivity
PCC- how have the savings impacted on service delivery? CC – it has been challenging to reduce overtime so significantly but has been manageable apart from in exceptional circumstances when overtime cannot be avoided. PCC thanked PW for report and noted that budget is approved. Flexibility on the precept will be proposed to the Police and Crime Panel at meeting of 3 February. |
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AOB |
BCH Scheme of Governance signed off. |
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Present: |
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John Tizard, Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) |
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Trevor Rodenhurst, Chief Constable – Police Service (CC) |
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In Attendance: |
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Phil Wells, Deputy Chief Officer – Police Service (PW) |
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Jaki Whittred, Assistant Chief Constable – Police Service (JW) |
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John Murphy, Assistant Chief Constable – Police Service (JM) |
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Berni Marchant, Force HMICFRS Liaison Officer – Police Service (BM) |
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Sharn Basra, Chief Executive – OPCC (SB) |
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Lara Lewis, Staff Officer – PCC (LL) |
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Katy Watts, Staff Officer – CC (KW) |
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Katie Beaumont, Head of Governance and Transparency - OPCC (KB) |
Monday 22 December 2025
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Agenda Item
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Item 1:
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Welcome - Minutes of meeting held and for agreement and matters arising:
PCC opened the meeting and welcomed Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Jaki Whittred and thanked Berni Marchant, Reviews and Inspection Manager. He also welcomed Phil Wells in his new role as Temporary Deputy Chief Officer. Minutes of the previous meeting were agreed. |
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Item 2: |
Actions: It was noted the actions from previous meeting had been completed or that they would be considered in this meeting as part of the agenda. PCC said that he would focus on the report on progress against HMCIFRS AFIs and take the spotlight reports if time allowed. |
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Item 3:
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Performance: 3.1 HMICFRS Areas for Improvement;
PCC opened this item by saying that he; · wanted to be assured that the Chief Constable was addressing all the AFIs identified by HMICRS in its report published in 2025. · was disappointed that the earlier expectation that five would have been signed off this month had not been signed off by HMICFRS. · wished to receive updates on progress in addressing all 17 AFIs but in particular those relating to response times, solving crimes and first line supervision. · recognises the pressures on police resources arising from increased demand, the Summer Safer Streets now Winter of Action campaigns, the failure of the NHS to fulfil its obligations under the Right Care, Right Person policy especially the ELFT Mental Health Trust. · wants assurance that the Police Service will be ready for the next inspection in May including having the current AFI’s addressed.
Additionally the PCC said that he; · regularly discusses these matters with the Chief Constable. · had a meeting with the HM Inspector responsible for Bedfordshire to discuss these matters and had been encouraged by the positive feedback from the HMIC.
PW who is chairing the Task and Finish Group on addressing the AFIs said that whilst HMIC had previously given view that five AFIs would be signed off by December they now wish to see more evidence that improvements have been properly embedded and in some cases want more data - for example to demonstrate progress on addressing ASB. CC and PW are confident that some AFIs will be signed of by HMICFRS in February and that progress is being made on all the others. The PCC then asked for updates on the AFIs AFI 1 - The force needs to improve how it records ASB; BM said processes are in place and continue to be monitored to ensure ongoing improvements. Expected delivery – February 2026. AFI 2 -The force needs to improve how it records equality data; BM said core areas of focus are recording protected characteristics and cultural issues. Currently awaiting some national guidance but have a Legitimacy Board in place. AFI 3 - The force needs to improve its understanding of how officers use force, including disproportionate use, and make sure it is recorded accurately; BM said processes are in place and continue to be monitored to ensure ongoing improvements. Expected delivery – March 2026. AFI 4 - The force needs to consistently record and evaluate problem-solving activity to monitor performance more effectively; BM said processes are in place and continue to be monitored to ensure ongoing improvements. Positive progress and feedback also positive. Expected delivery – March 2026. AFI 5 - The force needs to have a clear framework to monitor crime prevention and ASB; BM said the police service is prioritising prevention. CC said that progress is being made and that prevention was every police officer not solely for the community team. Work was underway to secure ownership across whole workforce and with proactive working. Expected delivery – March 2026. PCC noted that this also requires partnership working across the public sector and with the community too. He offered to use his convening powers to press this with partners. AFI 6 - The force should make sure that it identifies repeat victims and people who are vulnerable, and that it records this information; BM said processes are in place and continue to be monitored to ensure ongoing improvements. Expected delivery – March 2026. PCC asked if this could be threatened if other efficiencies are made as a result of budget pressures. CC said this is being monitored. AFI 7 - The force needs to attend calls for service in line with its attendance times and make sure callers are updated if there are delays; The HMICFRS report AFI supporting narrative: “The force doesn’t publish attendance targets, but it has an internal target of 15 minutes to respond to emergency calls. During our inspection, we found that the force isn’t always attending calls for service quickly enough. Our victim service assessment showed that the force attended 47 of the 74 cases we reviewed within its attendance time frame. It may be missing opportunities to keep communities safe. “We also found that the force isn’t always updating callers if there are delays in attendance. It updated callers if there was a delay in only 11 out of 24 cases we reviewed. Updating callers is particularly important as the force isn’t getting to incidents as quickly as it would like to. “The force doesn’t have enough trained emergency response drivers to meet demand. At the time of our inspection, the force told us it needed 220 trained response drivers to respond to emergency calls, yet it only had 166. This is reducing its ability to attend calls quickly. The force is investing in more driver courses. It expects to have 201 trained drivers by December 2024. Once trained, the force requires response drivers to use their qualification in the force for a minimum of two years.” BM said Bedfordshire Police Service is currently not delivering and not meeting attendance times. The force is working on prevention to reduce calls for service as well as supporting officers to respond efficiently, but this will take time. The strategic gold group overseeing ‘responding to the public’ is currently looking at opportunities manage time and resources more effectively including identifying where immediate response may not be required. Patrol currently attends 45% of immediate calls in 15 mins and 60% in 20 mins. The force is planning to introduce practical measures to improve the speed at which the Force control room can dispatch a vehicle and officer(s) such as dispatching in advance of completing the THRIVE analysis where this is assessed as appropriate. More officers are being deployed, and driving training is being increased. Patrol officer caseloads are being reviewed. It was noted that these measures would take time. The PCC noted that patrol response times have been an issue for over a year and that progress is required. PW said that the police service is seeking to improve demand and response rate to see improvements from February onwards with new measures having been put in place. Longer term the application of AI could accelerate dispatch time and new technology in cars would help response effectiveness. PCC asked for reassurance that improvements of the scale required feasible considering need for cultural change as well as process change. CC said it will take time to build resilience and experience in Patrol. Improvements in call handling was original focus and answering 999 calls had improved significantly and now need to reduce demand to therefore improve arrival time. Patrol also carrying biggest caseload. CC reported that in January the police service will be introducing a new Rapid Assessment Decision team allocate cases more effectively across the services and this should take some pressures away from patrol teams. He is also focussing on improvements in leadership in order to drive cultural change. PCC asked what the Rapid Assessment Decision team is likely to look like? CC said it would initially be two 2 officers attached to crime bureau to review all crimes and allocate them. The decision of the RAD team would be non-negotiable by units and officers so should speed case handling up. This new arrangement will be under regular review and is being piloted in January 2026. PCC observed that the 15-minute target has not been hit within the year since the inspection. When will it be hit and then how long will it take to prove it is effective and being maintained? CC said he is expecting to see a gradual month by month improvement, but this will take time to build. The combination of ensuring incidents are graded appropriately that we don’t over commit units, and by taking away some demand from patrol they will be able to better able to respond. This along with slowly increasing experience and skills included the number of trained response drivers will enable progress to be made. This is not a quick fix and can’t be at the expense of other important areas of service. Action - PCC requested updates from the CC on response times on a monthly basis. AFI 8 - The force needs to make sure that officers and staff have sufficient skills and experience to carry out quality investigations; BM reported that the number of detectives has and continues to grow. Now it necessary to ensure right caseload and allocation ensure the right work is being done before allocation, which is where the RAD will contribute. CC said he is more concerned about overall solved rate especially for victim crime. The progress is being made but he would like it to accelerate. He is visiting Cheshire Police next month to understand how they have improved their solved rates. AFI 9 - The force needs to make sure it complies with the Victims’ Code; BM said we are now fully implemented. PCC said that this is good but the experience of and treatment of victims throughout the system requires further improvement. He has initiated a review of support and services for victims across the criminal justice system with the aim of improving these. AFI 10 - The force doesn’t consistently achieve acceptable outcomes for victims; HMICFRS supporting narrative: “The force isn’t achieving acceptable outcomes for victims. It has low numbers of victim-based crimes that are solved following investigations. The force needs to better understand the issue and work to achieve better outcomes for victims. In the year ending 31 March 2024, Bedfordshire Police recorded 42,175 victim-based crimes. Of these recorded offences, 7.8 percent were assigned an offences brought to justice outcome. This is lower than expected compared to other forces in England and Wales.” BM said that is the biggest concern for Bedfordshire Police. PCC agreed. He noted that whilst Bedfordshire Police Services has made improvements these have not been at the same rate made by other forces. Bedfordshire currently ranks 39th on HMICFRS data. This is more than disappointing. CC said that there needs to be more focus on out of court resolutions and understanding barriers to increasing their use. He emphasised that outcomes are not always ones secured through the courts. CC said that there is a need for cultural change in this area as well as process change, and there was going to be close focus on use of outcome 16 (victim doesn’t support police action) with a desire to see this reduce. PCC asked what progress is expected to be made by the next inspection. CC reported seeing some positive results but expects it will take time beyond May to achieve what is required. He said the force performs very well at recording crime. PCC seeking reassurance that scrutiny of solved rate performance is across all teams including local policing where high caseloads sit. CC confirmed this is the case and indeed there was increasing scrutiny down to team and individual level. AFI 11 – The force should increase its use of preventive orders and make sure it monitors compliance to keep victims safe; BM said that processes are in place and continue to be monitored to ensure ongoing improvements. Expected delivery – March 2026. CC said the police services is prioritising the use of Domestic Violence Protection Orders. CC asked if PCC could raise this at Criminal Justice Board and ask the Magistrates to review the use of the orders supportively. Action – PCC to discuss DVPOs with magistrates. AFI 12 - The force should make sure that it quality assures safeguarding referrals, and they are referred to partner agencies in a timely manner; BM said processes are in place and continue to be monitored to ensure ongoing improvements. Expected delivery – March 2026. PCC asked about recent OFSTED reports that police responses are not being made effectively or in a timely manner to both Bedford Borough and Central Bedford councils safeguarding teams. CC said improvements and backlogs were greatly reduced since OFSTED reported. He also reported on progress being made to pilot data sharing and the use of AI to support this between Bedford Borough Council and the police. Action - PCC asked for regular updates on these issues. AFI 13 - The force should improve its governance of and approach to managing suspects and wanted people; BM said this is complete and has been signed off by HMICFRS. AFI 14 - The force needs to make sure that first-line leaders give regular, dedicated time and support to officers and staff; BM reported that this is under regular review and continuing progress to ensure delivery by April 2026. More remains to be done. PCC asked about the culture shift required and expectations of frontline officers and their supervisors. CC said that there were continuous communications to officers and training programmes are in place, but he accepted that this is work in progress. However the College of Policing first and second line leaders programme had been rolled out and was being delivered to all relevant ranks and grades. AFI 15 - The force needs to do more to support the development and career progression of personnel from under-represented groups; BM said that there is work taking place on EDI self-assessments with positive feedback and progress. Expected delivery by March 2026. Inspectorate will carry out focus groups to test this. PCC said this was a fundamentally important area that requires much improvement so that the police service better reflects the diversity of the county. AFI 16 - The force should make sure it has effective data to support good governance of underperforming areas; BM said that this is completed. Expected sign off by March 2026. AFI 17 - The force should make sure it is effectively managing demand and has the right resources, processes and plans in place to keep communities safe; CC said this was being addressed including by introducing the RAD team, improving work and outcomes in respect of prevention and closer working with partners. Conclusion: PCC thanked BM, PW and CC for the comprehensive update on progress. PCC noted the report and said that he remains concerned that in some areas there is much to be done still to address the AFIs and meet the expectations of the HMICFRS. He said that the main drive must be to ensure that the residents of Bedfordshire have the benefits of an effective, efficient and well performing police service not just to meet HMICFRS requirements, but he recognised that these are closely correlated. He also recognises limited resources and increasing and often unexpected demand can be challenging, and it is important that any future HMICFRS inspection takes the wider context into account. He is making this case in his national portfolio roles to both the Home Office as it develops a new police performance framework and to HMICFRS. CC said that he is now preparing for the next inspection which will take place under the new HMICRS framework which is likely to be more intensive and with a bigger focus on custody and fraud. ACTION – the PCC requires; · monthly update to this Board on progress against AFIs and readiness for the next inspection in May · exception updates at his regular one to one meetings with CC
PCC closed this section of the agenda by thanking the CC and his officers and staff for the work being undertaken. JM presented report on local policing, highlighting: · rural and wildlife crime – good work being done to tackle and disrupt serious and organised crime in rural areas. · there have now been 14 live facial recognition deployments in Bedford and Luton, and 275,000 faces scanned and 45 arrests. · there are some serious challenges around Right Care Right Person. Partners such as ELFT not fully fulfilling their responsibilities and not delivering expected service levels. Mental health arrangements in other parts of country far exceed arrangements in Bedfordshire. · CIB performance under review due to concerns about timeliness of crime allocations and it has improved since report.
CC made the point that the issue of mental health provision has direct impact on the earlier discussion on the response times as officers are spending hours with individuals for whom there is no policing purpose as they are unable to hand over a duty of care.
3.2 Local policing spotlight report:
PCC said; · he was pleased with the success rates in tackling serious rural crime. · he was pleased with the success of the use of LFR and that he was very pleased he had received positive support from local authorities, retail businesses and the public. · he would support the CC who was writing to the CEOS of ELFT and the ICB by writing to their chairs about Right Care Right Person.
3.3 Excellence in policing spotlight report:
PCC asked for update on Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee. CC said that performance is being monitored and performance managed. Partnership working needs to be more sustainable and the model in Luton ideally rolled out across the county. PCC said that he wanted to see all NPG targets met. PCC asked about abstractions and specifically what the metric being used is to measure and manage them? He asked if this can be used to report back to the Board. CC agreed. PCC re-emphasised his concern around the high caseload being held by the Patrol function and that they hold almost half of outstanding suspects. CC pointed out that the AFI on outstanding suspects was now closed as significant improvements have been made in the management of the related risk. PW presented report on excellence in policing, highlighting key areas: · disproportionality – to be discussed further at future meeting. · estates strategy - to be discussed further at future meeting in the wider context to the development of the new operating model and developments across the county. · recruitment, retention and training including raining is a core theme that is closely linked to AFI 7 and 10 and must be looked at in detail - to be discussed further at future meeting.
Action: SB and PW to review future report schedule to include the above with PW. |
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Item 4:
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4.1 Risk (Change in risk OPCC and Force):
1. Firearms and Explosives Licensing in light of BCH performance and recent HMICFRS inspection · PCC has requested a meeting with Roy Wilshire (HMICFRS) and other two PCC’s · Has requested a special meeting of the BCH Summit · The CC reported that a Gold Gorup has been established under the Deputy CC of Hertfordshire 2. Government financial settlement and its implications |
REPORT FOR THE POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER FOR BEDFORDSHIRE - PERFORMANCE & GOVERNANCE BOARD
Date of meeting: Monday 22nd December
Report title: Excellence report
- Excellence in policing
1.1. Introduction
1.1.1. This reports focuses on some specific areas covered by the Excellence in Policing element of the Commissioners Police and Crime Plan. The report focuses on three distinct areas:
- Recruitment, Retention and Progression;
- Update in Estates strategy going forward
- Disproportionality in police practices
- Best practice around Stop and Search and use of Force
- Advance use of AI
1.1.2. The report looks to provide an update against the activity in each of these areas, albeit in relation to the Estates Strategy, as will be explained in the body of the report, there is a fundamental first step that is required around the local policing delivery model, to ensure that the Strategy enables the effectiveness of this, and this is being considered as part of the 2026/27 and Medium Term Business Planning process.
1.1.3. It is also worth highlighting that the focus for the recruitment, retention and progression section of the report will be on Police Officers, but it is worth highlighting that at this stage in the financial year that in relation to Police Staff there is a vacancy freeze, apart from the Force Control Room and PCSOs, to enable spend to reduce in 2025/26 but also to allow for a further review of the vacancies as part of the 2026/27 budgetary process, when the level or service that can be provided, within the financial envelope available, will be considered.
- Recruitment, Retention and Progression
2.1 Recruitment
2.1.1 Bedfordshire Police are on track to recruit the numbers required for 25/26. End of year numbers are showing slightly below where required, however this is due to slightly higher leavers in December than planned. These workforce plan numbers are being tracked closely to balance recruitment with budget.
2.1.2 The Force met the mid-year maintenance target of 1466. A cohort started 15/12 and the workforce plan has 3 further cohorts planned in the last quarter of the year to ensure we will recruit the additional 20 officers required to meet the Neighbourhood Police Guarantee plan by end of the financial year, as depicted in the tables below:
2.1.3 While recruitment levels are on track, as the table below shows there is additional work to do relating increasing diversity in the workforce. The cohorts of new starters shows that approximately 53% of new recruits being female. However increasing visible diversity is proving to be more of a challenge.
2.1.4 The recruitment team continually review each step of the recruitment process to ensure that there is sufficient additional support to encourage diversity both at the engagement stage and the recruitment stage itself. Operation Hendrickson has been introduced to specifically provide support for those potential applicants from a Black background, but due to the fact the current cohorts are being filled from the pools prior to this introduction it is hoped that the impacts of this initiative will be felt in the latter part of the financial year.
2.1.5 To further try and increase diversity, responsibility for attraction and engagement moved to Community Policing from Sept 2025 to utilise the community engagements and greater reach of the Neighbourhood team as an opportunity to promote recruitment and increase applications from underrepresented groups.
2.2 Retention
2.2.1 Retention is tracked monthly through People and Postings and the Force Executive Board. So far this financial year the attrition rate is running slightly higher than this time last year. This remains linked to a higher number of retirements and transferees.
2.2.2 Whilst there has been a higher number of retirements so far this year it is important and pleasing to note, that in the drive to retain experience, whilst the Force continues with a young in-service workforce, that 5 have rejoined on the retire and rehire scheme, with an additional 1 due to return in January. In relation to transferees, due to the Force having the right level of supervisory roles, some have chosen to transfer on promotion to neighbouring forces, whereas others have determined that lifestyle changes / personal circumstances alongside the location becoming difficult for commuting, mean they have joined other forces closer to where they wish to reside.
2.2.3 The table below shows, as highlighted above, that the attrition rate currently stands at 9.4% compared to a rate of 7.7% last year.
2.2.4 Whilst further work is being done, as mentioned above, to engage and attract diversity into the organisation, it is also the case that officers from ethnic minority groups are exiting the organisation at a higher rate than expected. However, it is worth highlighting that these are aligned to retirement and transfers to other forces to be closer to family rather than their experience with the organisation. It is also positive that 1 from the 7 came back as police staff.
2.3 Progression / Promotions
2.3.1 The Force have pro-actively, managed the workforce plan to ensure that the pipeline of promotion is appropriate for the number of vacancies. At present there are no vacancies at the level of Chief Superintendent and Superintendent and therefore at this stage no promotion processes are happening, however, this will be reviewed in the new calendar year as part of the ongoing management of the workforce plan. The process for Chief Inspector has been completed with 5 candidates being successful and sue to be substantively promoted in Jan 26.
2.3.2 In relation to Inspectors and Sgts whilst, due to the high level of fluctuation, promotion processes continued throughout the year. The number of substantive or temporary i.e. passed a promotion board and are on their WBA is in line with the budgeted establishment and following the conclusion of PBB and the budget setting process promotion processes for 2026 will be finalised.
2.3.3 All of the promotion processes for officers are currently under review locally and across BCH as part of Operation Newstead (a review of the collaborated HR function). Changes are likely to put more emphasis on PDR processes and continual development and create a wider panel type assessment of candidates to ensure diversity of thought and challenge. It is also intended that the development of the Organisational aspect of Nectar will provide greater opportunity to consider postings and promotions in line with individual spirations and career pathways. Consultation is under way in relation to Op Newstead with counter proposals due to be heard on 18/12. Following the conclusion of this process Beds processes for 2026 will be finalised.
2.3.4 As part of the development of Nectar there is a drive to enhance our diversity data so that account can be taken of it in all our development processes and provides better understanding of where positive action is required. Currently this is held locally in departments or corporate knowledge of our workforce, which has the impact of lack of assurance that this is being considered appropriately in the decision-making processes. Agreement to import this data has been made so this data should be available in platform from early 2026.
- Estates Strategy
3.1 End future outsourcing contracts and begin a programme for insourcing services
Work is underway with regard to insourcing the cleaning contract, and exploring the TUPE implications. High level costings have been produced with regard to the capital investment requirement in cleaning equipment (£10k), and the monthly consumables (£15k per month). Work has not yet started on the staff modelling as the recent budget announcement on living wage needs to be factored it. In order to reduce the TUPE burden the remainder of the current contract has been scaled back and will see the service dropping from 5 to 4 days per week from mid January.
3.2 Develop and adopt a new estates policy which will reflect operational requirements for the next ten years
While there is much work ongoing within the force with regard to the future policing operating model, and the Local Policing strategy the work on the estates policy will follow on from that.
3.3 Ensure the police service has clear carbon reduction targets and is prepared for the impact of climate change on policing –National greenhouse gas emissions reporting for police forces is being introduced from April 2026. The training and communication associated with this start at the end of January 2026 and at which time the local targets can be proposed to ensure they are in line with the national picture. In the interim, work continues on carbon reduction with the LED lighting rollout almost complete forcewide, the roof replacement project for HQ which includes significant increase in insulation, solar PV and battery storage is due out to tender end of January as the specification and design work is now complete. A new waste contractor has been appointed, and transition of services is happening throughout December, then in Q1 there will be a forcewide drive to improve our recycling rates.
- Eliminate disproportionality in police practices
4.1. Analysis of policing outcomes from Q4 2024/25 through Q2 2025/26 demonstrates that disproportionality across ethnic groups needs to remain a significant area of focus for Bedfordshire Police. Black individuals, who make up just over 5.6% of the local population, continue to experience higher rates of suspect and victimisation per 1,000 population compared to other groups. While there was a modest reduction in crimes per 1,000 population between Q1 and Q2 of 2025/26, the victimisation rate for Black individuals increased slightly, and disproportionality ratios for both suspects and victims remain above those for White individuals. Asian communities also experienced incremental changes in disproportionality ratios during this period. These trends highlight the importance of sustained efforts to ensure fairness and equity in policing practices.
4.2. Bedfordshire Police has embedded robust governance to monitor and address these disparities. Progress is overseen through the Legitimacy Board and the Force Performance Board, with independent scrutiny provided by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s custody panel. These forums regularly review disproportionality data, commission deep-dives where needed, and ensure that learning is embedded into operational practice. The introduction of the new custody performance framework, supported by enhanced Power BI dashboards, will enable more granular and transparent reporting on outcomes by ethnicity, gender, and age. This approach is complemented by the implementation of the Police Race Action Plan, improvements in data quality, and targeted actions such as enhanced recording of stop and search, supervisor reviews of use of force, and community engagement initiatives.
4.3. The most recent Custody Performance Report shows that overall custody throughput has decreased compared to the previous year, but the proportion of Black and Asian detainees in November 2025 was higher than the 12-month average. Arrest rates per 1,000 population remain highest for Black individuals, underscoring the need for continued monitoring and action. Bedfordshire Police is also taking steps to ensure fair access and dignity in custody, including the use of language-line iPads, regular quality assurance of procedures, and a focus on outcomes for children and vulnerable groups. By embedding these measures within our performance and governance structures, and by reporting regularly to senior boards, we are committed to eliminating disproportionality and building trust across all communities.
- Ensure that the police apply stop and search and the use of force meet best national practice
5.1. Bedfordshire Police has established a comprehensive framework to ensure that stop and search, use of force, and strip search practices align with best national practice and uphold public confidence. The force’s policies are fully aligned with PACE and the Home Office Best Use of Stop and Search (BUSS) scheme, embedding enhanced outcome recording, lay observation, and community complaint triggers. Regular community scrutiny panels, supported by body-worn video (BWV) review and detailed performance products, provide independent oversight and help monitor proportionality and legitimacy. In custody, performance dashboards track strip search activity, appropriate adult attendance, and demographic breakdowns, ensuring transparency and compliance with national guidance.
5.2. Governance and scrutiny are robust, with strategic oversight provided through the Legitimacy Board, Force Performance Board, and the Police Powers Strategic Board. Progress against HMICFRS PEEL areas for improvement is reported to senior governance forums, while the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) independently administers community scrutiny panels. These panels review BWV footage, examine redacted case papers, and provide feedback directly to force leads, ensuring that learning is embedded and that operational practice is continually improved. The forces approach to searches of juveniles has been recorded as promising practice through the College of policing. Internally, supervisor reviews and subject matter expert dip-sampling are routine, with findings escalated as necessary and fed back into training and policy development.
5.3. Data shows that Bedfordshire’s stop and search ‘item found’ rate is above the national average, and disproportionality ratios, while still present, are lower than what is seen nationally. At the time of writing Bedfordshire Police are the fourth lowest nationally, in this category. Use of force data is closely monitored, with recent improvements in the proportionality of outcomes for Black individuals and ongoing work to strengthen transparency and data quality. In custody, dashboards provide detailed insights into strip search patterns by age, gender, and ethnicity, supporting targeted quality assurance and learning. Recent improvements include the introduction of mandatory supervisor reviews; enhanced BWV pre-record functionality and strengthened ethnicity data capture. These measures, alongside ongoing community engagement and academic deep dives, demonstrate the force’s commitment to continuous improvement and to ensuring that police powers are applied fairly, proportionately, and in line with national best practice. A digital change request has been commissioned for use of force mandated question specific to safeguarding following use of force on a juvenile.
6. Advance the use of technology including AI to enhance police performance and productivity and the public experience of policing and criminal justice
6.1. Bedfordshire Police continues to make significant progress in advancing the use of technology and innovation to enhance police performance, productivity, and the public experience of policing and criminal justice. The force’s culture of innovation is demonstrated through initiatives such as the CamGuard project, which has developed a proof of concept for advanced crime scene technology, and the Daedalus project, which is fostering international collaboration on emerging solutions. The Dragons’ Den programme remains a strong driver of employee engagement, generating a healthy pipeline of ideas and supporting the development and implementation of practical solutions across the organisation. Notably, the trial of the Axon Capture transcription tool and upgrades to property management systems are improving operational efficiency and accuracy, while the ongoing engagement with staff through innovation events and workshops ensures that new ideas are continually surfaced and progressed.
6.2. The force is also delivering tangible benefits through the implementation of innovative solutions under Project Nectar and related programmes. The Resource Request Application and Vetting workstreams are nearing completion, with new digital tools streamlining workforce planning and compliance processes. The operational NECTAR pilot has delivered substantial improvements, including a 95% increase in demand management efficiency and a 340% rise in identifications under Claire’s Law, alongside significant reductions in time spent searching siloed systems. Other technology-driven projects, such as the MyPolice Portal and CCTV AI business case, are expected to deliver further productivity gains, cost savings, and improvements in public contact and victim support. The Right Care Right Person initiative has already resulted in a marked reduction in incident volumes and freed up officer time, demonstrating the impact of technology-enabled change on frontline service delivery.
6.3. Data and analytics are increasingly central to the force’s approach, supporting evidence-based decision-making and organisational priorities. The ongoing development and widespread use of Power BI dashboards have enhanced access to management information, with over 1,000 unique users accessing key reports in a typical month. Analytical products are routinely produced to inform operational activity, from hotspot policing and serious violence reduction to domestic abuse profiling and performance monitoring. These efforts are underpinned by a commitment to continuous improvement, with benefits realisation plans, post-implementation reviews, and regular reporting to senior boards ensuring that technology investments deliver measurable outcomes for both the organisation and the communities it serves.
7. Evaluation of Summer Policing plan
7.1. Chief Supt Jakki Whittred has produced a valuation of the summer policing plan. This has already been sent over to the OPCC so they have had sight of this, but attached under Appendix A.
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Present: |
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John Tizard, Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) |
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Trevor Rodenhurst, Chief Constable (CC) |
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In Attendance: |
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Phil Wells, Chief Finance Officer – Police Service/OPCC (PW) |
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John Murphy, Assistant Chief Constable – Police Service (JM) |
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Dan Vajzovic, Deputy Chief Constable – Police Service (CC) |
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Karena Thomas, Assistant Chief Constable – Police Service (KT) |
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Sharn Basra, Chief Executive – OPCC (SB) |
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Lara Lewis, Staff Officer – PCC (LL) |
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Katy Watts, Staff Officer – ACC (EP) |
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MON 03 NOVEMBER 2025
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Agenda Item
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Item 1:
Welcome & PCC Remarks |
PCC welcomed everyone to the meeting and noted apologies from Adam Ball, ACC. |
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Item 2: Actions |
Action on victim attrition report to be closed and reviewed in Spring 2026. Other actions relating to reports to come later in meeting or future meetings to relate to spotlight reports. Information document agreed for publication. |
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Item 3.1: Crime performance figures with restricted detail |
Assistant Chief Constable John Murphy presented report on Bedfordshire Police performance for the quarter, highlighting various statistics. · 4209 crimes recorded in September - relatively stable position · Q2 solved rate 2% higher than last year · 13% solved rate - continuously higher (6% higher than 2 years ago) · Reviewing out of court disposals to improve use across force, particularly for medium risk domestic abuse cases · Reductions in burglary, robbery, knife crime, theft from motor vehicles and antisocial behaviour. More antisocial behaviour in Q2 than Q1 due to summer period but still slightly lower than last year · Number of crimes assigned to Patrol function has reduced by around 200 crimes this quarter · Ongoing dedicated operation aimed at reducing outstanding suspects - only 7 suspects currently wanted for more than 3 offences – this has reduced from around 20/30 · Bedfordshire Police solving more burglaries than any other police force. Now focussing on improving robbery solved rate and prevention · Vehicle crime - recorded 88 vehicle interferences in September - half of those were in Bedford. Plans in place to tackle this · Hate crime has increased in September but lower than last year · 17 offences in September of most serious violence, and low homicides · Trafficking of drugs shows increases due to fast parcels in prisons - now recording 118 per month
PCC thanked JM for report and noted that he is pleased to see the improvements in the control room, having met the team last week and spent time listening to calls as part of International Control Room Week.
However, improvements must be reflected in response times and PCC asked how the police are progressing in the improvement journey for the Patrol function? CC responded that lots of work still taking place in Responding to Public Gold Group- longer term challenge due to number of resources and need to make some structural changes to see a real shift towards sustainable improvement.
PCC asked what he might expect to see in the short term? CC said that victim initial feedback is positive - need to arrive quickly but service must be consistently good and follow up needs to be consistent and in line with what the victim has been told to expect. Added that victims are likely to be dissatisfied if crime not solved or they are not communicated with well. Bringing in victims’ portal will greatly improve the feedback loop.
PCC observed that recently commissioned polling shows level of satisfaction is not about solving the crimes, but more about good victim experience. This includes providing a good explanation and keeping victim informed. Also observed that this improvement feeds into the core area of improvement relating to victims. CC agrees and this will remain an area of focus.
PCC observed that community resolutions are improving but charging not as much. JM responded that this has slightly declined recently but within normal levels
PCC noted an increase in fraud. CC said that fraud continues to increase as it does nationally and have engaged with City of London and other forces, but Beds is not an outlier and solved rate is broadly comparable to other forces.
PCC asked for assurance that the assigning of cases is evenly distributed, noting the high proportion allocated to Patrol function. PCC noted that since report had been published assigned crime had increased by about 550 of which 330 were in Patrol. Asked why the sudden increase and about plans to reduce this. JM said that this is monitored each month to ensure no department struggling or overworked - 0.2 increase per officer per average across the force due to structural changes and have noticed that this is more efficient. More changes may come but currently generally working well. CC is exploring more efficient models to reduce caseload on Patrol. DCC noted some anomalous reporting patterns when it comes to assigned crime.
PCC observed an increase in hate crime in last few months but said this is not surprising considering feedback from the community he has had. Asked how different areas in Bedfordshire compare and how Bedfordshire compares to other areas. JM said reports of hate crime have increased in Luton, but rest of county has remained stable. The vast majority is racial - only small number relating to disability etc. Bedfordshire ranks 22nd nationally for recorded levels of hate crime. PCC has had a high volume of those saying they are worried hate crime is growing. He asked if the reporting reflects this. CC observed that some hate crimes that are outside Bedfordshire or particularly when it comes to online may amount to some pretty unpleasant content which is not technically hate crime and doesn’t cross the line of being categorised as a crime. This type of content can create a feeling in a community that will not be reflected in reports. The community cohesion team is an important Bedfordshire asset that is not found in other counties. PCC asked what more can be done to reinforce that not all perceived hate crime is reportable? CC believes police need to continue engagement and reassurance with communities. Any repeat suspects and/or victims are tracked daily.
PCC asked about the focus on preventing robbery and improving solved rate. JM said police are reviewing evidential collection and running dedicated proactive patrols to deal with any identified robbery series. CC added that police are piloting a new capability with Herts to link offenders in custody to previous crimes they may have committed.
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Item 4.1 Collaboration updates – JPS |
PCC placed on record thanks and appreciation for officers from Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire teams who were involved in the incident at Huntingdon train station and asked how many Beds officers were involved on the 1st of November. ACC Thomas said that there were seven Bedfordshire officers present from the armed policing unit, and officers from roads policing, dog unit and major crime were all involved. It has been noted that there was an incredible JESIP response and only 8 minutes elapsed between the 999 call was dialled and the arrest was made. KT presented report on collaboration, highlighting updates on each area of business. On the armed policing unit, KT noted that the unit is focussing on recruiting into vacancies and training, firearms demand has increased- both planned incidents and dynamic response. APU are frequently deployed to support roads policing and local policing and there may be a risk in terms of a national delay in rollout of taser changes but waiting for national update. Contingency plans in place - going through testing programme - aiming for Feb 2026. On the roads policing unit, KT highlighted that fleet stability is the main priority as this is having an impact on the capacity of the unit. Officers are moving onto a new shift pattern in January 2026 and performance is improving across all support. Fatal collisions have been high over Q2. Main focus of prevention is still on young motorcyclists and medical incidents. A response was received to the PCC’s letter to Department for Transport regarding the A14 but there has been no offer of support from Highways Agency as yet. PCC asked if there are any implications on Patrol function where incidents cannot be attended. CC confirmed that the absence of Highways Agency commitment to some roads such as the A14 ties up BCH Road Policing Resources results in them not being available to respond to some incidents on fast roads meaning that local policing resources are diverted to cover these incidents. Regarding the dogs unit, KT reported that a focus is on encouraging specialist units to make full use of the resource when planning operations and responding to incidents. In addition, focus on dangerous dogs and managing local investigations, aiming to keep low costs and working with CPS to reduce time spent in kennels. PCC asked what impact this is having on finances and capacity. KT said the teams are exploring all civil outcomes/diversions and trying to use kennels with best value for money. KT reported that demand for the Operational Support Unit is consistent and that drone usage continues to increase and will be used more over winter. The unit is delivering all specialisms as required. Regarding the Major Crime Unit, KT reported that some current cases are particularly complex, but thankfully homicides are currently low. · 90% detection rate across all homicides
PCC pleased to hear that case management of the unit is more balanced. Finally, the Scientific Support Unit is leading nationally on accreditation requirements and is meeting both investigative and judicial needs. In every force, submissions are assessed and worked through with OICs and scene managers-all costs have gone up by providers and budgets must be controlled. |
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Item 4.2: Collaboration updates - |
The DCC presented report on the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit, noting that the report has already been presented to the PCC at the ERSOU Board in recent weeks. Providing an update on Project Kaizen, the DCC highlighted that a balanced model will be presented to forces on efficiencies and to strengthen some capabilities, but the broad principle is that ERSOU will not shunt work back to forces. Nectar products are to be used where possible to create efficiencies. The aim is to invest in emerging risks that are most prevalent such as organised immigration crime and Western Balkan criminality. PCC thanked DCC for the report and agreed that PCCs will receive full presentation at next ERSOU board before project is implemented at full effect next financial year. CC added that assumptions are predicated on grants received in previous years but has not received sufficient reassurance from Home Office that these will be continued at the current level. |
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Item 4.3: Collaboration updates: BCH functions including HR/ICT
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DCC provided updates on other collaborative functions, including support teams. He highlighted that:
The CC and DCC reported on the current situation and performance within the Firearms and Explosives Licensing Department. Bedfordshire has allocated additional officers to support addressing the current application process. The DCC is meeting the BCH FEL leadership team fortnightly and a stakeholder reference group is now in place. The PCC expressed his continuing disappointment at the speed of progress to turn performance around. He noted that there is very modest improvement, but this is not enough. He will continue to work with his BCH PCC colleagues on this, and it will be a substantial agenda item at the next BCH Strategic Alliance Summit. Action: CC and DCC to continue to monitor and press for improvements, and PCC to raise with his colleague PCCs. |
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Item 5: Risks |
OPCC – None Police service – national mood and community tensions around immigration and public sentiment |
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Item 6: Chief Constable Complaints |
None to report |
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Item 7: Quarterly Reporting efficiency – Finance, Budget and efficiency |
PW presented reports on current year forecast and the medium-term financial plan. The PCC sought reassurance that the action taken to pull the forecast police overspend especially the curtailment of overtime in 2025/26 would not adversely impact on performance. The CC said that he was confident that performance would not be affected. The PCC said that this should be monitored and report on a regular basis to this Board On the Medium-Term Plan, it was noted that there was a potential gap in funding for 2026/27 which would cause major problems if not addressed. The CC and CFO reported that work is underway to · complete the priority-based budgeting process (PBB) · identify potential savings that would avoid redundancies if possible and not impede on performance, but this would be challenging · introduce technology to improve productivity and reduce costs in the medium term · maximise the savings following the review of the BCH non-JPS functions The PCC said that he would be prepared to reduce reserves including the police fund on the condition that there will be restored to at least 2% of expenditure in a year. The PCC said that there would be a special meeting with the Chief Officer Group and himself and his CEO to discuss the financial position in more detail when more information is available. He plans to increase the council tax precept to the maximum allowable without holding a referendum. He expects all PCCs and Mayors to do the same and the government assumes that they will do so when allocating the financial settlement which is due in late December. He will consult on this in January. Action: It was agreed that the PCC and CC will jointly write to the policing minister setting out Bedfordshire’s case for additional funding and would enlist the county’s MPs to support this approach. PW to draft with LL. |
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AOB |
None |
END
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Present: |
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John Tizard, Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) |
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Trevor Rodenhurst, Chief Constable – Police Service (CC) |
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In Attendance: |
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John Murphy, Assistant Chief Constable – Police Service (ACC) |
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Phil Wells, CFO – Police Service / OPCC (PW) |
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Sharn Basra, CEO – OPCC (SB) |
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Berni Marchant, Strategic Services Improvement – Police Service (BM) |
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Fiona Dawson, Staff Officer – CC (FD) |
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Katie Beaumont, Head of Governance and Transparency – OPCC (KB) |
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Lara Lewis, Staff Officer – PCC (LL) |
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Melanie Knight, Staff Officer – DCC (MK) |
Wednesday 24 September 2025
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Agenda Item |
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Item 1: Welcome Minutes of meeting |
PCC opened the meeting and noted apologies from DCC Dan Vajzovic. Minutes from the previous meeting were agreed |
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Item 2 Actions
Information Document |
Action 3 – CC to share victim attrition paper. Action 10 – Report on learnings from SSSI to come once final data has been collated at the next meeting of P&G Action 12 - Actions from JCOB for escalation to SAS to be considered at the CC/PCC regular meetings Information document agreed for publication |
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Item 3 Spotlight report on local policing
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ACC Murphy presented the report on local policing. He highlighted: · Good performance in Force Control Room (FCR). PCC agreed the data shows the performance is very positive and said he hope that the trajectory will continue. · Community policing is aiming to ensure compliance against the requirements of the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee. Bedfordshire Police is compliant on all points and have photos and names of neighbourhood officers available to residents online. · Chief Inspector Chris Simmons is the lead officer for the ASB Action Plan · The ASB Plan which must be published in April 2026 will be reviewed by the P&G Board in February 2026. · ASB is reducing in Bedfordshire and the reasons for this are being analysed. · There are currently 21 vacancies in community policing and these will be filled as soon as possible. The PCC said that this is important so as to maintain public trust. · The Patrol function is performing better than last year, with response times currently at the best this year so far. Overtime spend is down and solved rate is also improving. There are some reductions in outstanding suspects and overall ‘assigned crime’ meaning demand is being managed better, and cases are being triaged more robustly. · New ways of working including the rapid video response (RVR) in the FCR are in place · There is an increased use of voluntary appointments to manage suspects. · The Education and Diversion team’s curriculum has significantly changed over the last 5-6 years to address contemporary issues. · ACC also mentioned of the important contributions of the Rural Crime Action Team and community cohesion team. · There have been successful first deployments of Live Facial Recognition in town centres, and feedback has been very positive including the Independent Advisory Group calling for more deployments in other locations. LFR has gathered valuable intelligence and identified operational risks; and led to arrests.
CC is re-evaluating the current police operating model to ensure Bedfordshire Police is able to respond to emerging threats and manage its investigative function in a more agile way to deliver local policing as efficiently and effectively as possible. This work will need to identify cashable savings to meet projected budget gap. PCC thanked ACC for the report and noted that one of the requirements for the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee is to reduce and/or eliminate abstractions from community policing. Anecdotally PCC hears that there are abstractions but wants to understand the implications. There are abstractions referenced in the report, but these may not be long term, just when there is an incident.
CC confirmed abstractions are short-term and when there is a need for officers for public order, hospital guards or other operations. Thes is ad hoc and not for long periods. The PCC said he would seek assurance that abstractions from local policing teams will reduce and only be used when absolutely necessary. CC agrees in principle but explains that we must be clear what is an abstraction as dealing with a crime or prisoner relating to offending on their local patch is not an abstraction. PCC concerned that abstraction must be accurately explained to the public. CC agreed. PCC asked if the officers in FCR could be on operational duties e.g. drivers. ACC advised some of these officers have temporary restrictions and having them in the FCR means they can focus on initial investigation which relieves demand from other units. Looking for them to work more closely with CIB to improve evaluation rate on crimes. There is a benefit to officers being in FCR in terms of service delivered to the public.
PCC asked about the number of Special Constables and their recruitment. He asked how Bedfordshire Police compares in terms of recruitment and numbers.
CC confirmed there is a pipeline of Specials coming through, but recruitment is focusing on quality rather than quantity and making sure police service can secure regular commitment and keep specials skilled. The number of Specials is currently lower than optimum but have planned intakes and looking to advertise the option as a gateway to policing as a career. Also pushing employer-supported schemes.
PCC offered to help promote these campaigns as much as possible. PCC asked about current hate crime levels given the current political environment and approaches he has had from communities across the county.
ACC responded that the police have seen a steady rise but not significant and rise is a positive thing due to people having the confidence to report. The public must feel able to report incidents of hate crime experienced both in person and online. PCC noted that during an audit of 1,000 incidents between June and August 2025, there were 406 missed Rapid Video Response opportunities identified, equating to 32 per day. This is not just about the demand within the FCR, but the added demand that goes to Patrol to deal with and this seems excessive. CC confirmed that RVR can take on more demand and this will be a focus in near future. PCC asked if student officers retain their caseload throughout all rotations.
CC confirmed but noted that police service will be reducing these rotations to keep more students in Patrol and therefore keeping continuing and momentum of ownership to support victims. |
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Item 5 Safer Streets Summer Initiative update
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Final data to return this month is still awaited. It will show results of the work carried out by police and partners in town centres, including preventative measures and public engagement. The data so far indicates lower levels of crime and ASB and no initial signs of displacing the issues into other areas in the community. PCC reported that feedback he has had from communities is very positive including across the three local authorities. He had been in Bedford Town Centre when the LFR vans were deployed for the first time and was impressed by positive engagement with and response from the public such as in Bedford town centre when LFR deployed.
He had attended the police officer briefing before the deployment and was impressed by the professionalism of the officers throughout the day.
CC said police are expanding watchlist for future deployments of LFR. PCC said he wishes to see more detail on how the police plan to continue the programme beyond the summer period; how they plan to work with the local authorities; and how the learning from the summer months is used to plan future programmes. PCC intends to continue dialogue with local authorities about commitments and partnership working and will be speaking at this evening at public event in Luton to seek feedback from residents. PCC asked how police and partners are dealing with root causes of criminality in town centres such as addiction - are police getting feedback on outreach services? Aware of lack of provision in some areas such as Bedford.
CC there is some but it’s not sufficient. Services need to be taken to those in need rather than via sign posting; fully collaborative approaches require all agencies to commit resources. |
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Item 4
Spotlight report on securing an excellent police service
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PW presented report, focusing on the three key areas of people, estates and insourcing. He highlighted the following: · Recruitment campaigns have been successful, and establishment has now been reached. · there is now a focus on both retention and progression – Bedfordshire Police have a good balance of genders but need to improve balance of ethnicities. · The local community policing teams have been working on engaging with all communities to promote the appeal of policing as a career. · Police service is now focussing on understanding and reducing attrition, there are several more retirements this year also. · Also seeking to improve supervisory numbers by encouraging career progression amongst officers. · PW has commissioned an independent review on insourcing from PWC who looked at all contracts and shortlisted potentials for insourcing and assessed each one against criteria to narrow down to three to progress to insourcing. Two contracts will be under review and cleaning will be insourced from 2026 in partnership with Hertfordshire.
PCC thanked PW for the report and noted that officer attrition in Bedfordshire is above the national average and said he would be concerned if this was a trend. PCC asked if/why officers leave to go to other forces? PW responded that the numbers are relatively low, and transfers are not being made to neighbouring forces. The comparison to the national average is not as significant as it was previously, and number of resignations is going down. The current figures include several retirements, and some officers required to leave. Action: Officer attrition to be reported to Performance and Governance Board on a quarterly basis.
PCC is concerned about cultural issues around recruitment of ethnic minorities and notes that this could be related to a deeper issue about the image of and trust in policing.
CC states that attraction and progression are key elements of the Police Race Action Plan this work is a priority for Beds Police. Action: Progress against the Police Race Action Plan to be reported to Performance and Governance Board as part of the excellence agenda.
PCC asked if the overtime restrictions are having an impact on both morale and performance? CC said that there will always be operationally driven reasons to do overtime. Performance is increasing so balance seems right but need to make sure it is sustainable. Bedfordshire Police are now solving more crime than previous year so the impact on performance is not visible but will be monitored. Consistent messaging with officers is that overtime is available where there is an operationally necessity but must be the overall spend must continue to be reduced. PCC agreed. PCC asked about work being done to improve the promotion of officers from minority ethnic backgrounds internally.
CC noted the positive work being done around mentoring but continues to review this as still not got sufficient numbers. So far, 91 people have been through career-ready programme which has led to retention and promotion. PCC noted that in the past year 27 students have been recruited but have lost a separate 23. Is the student experience being reviewed?
PW said that these 23 are people that have been working with the service for up to 2 years, but work being done to ensure student journey is positive. This is not a serious concern.
Action: Update to be presented at a future meeting of the Board on training across the service at all levels, to cover the quality assessment of training, mentoring and assessment. PCC said he expected an updated estates strategy taking into account the review of the police operational model and growth across the county as soon as possible with a clear focus on green agenda.
PW said he will bring forward a draft Estates strategy in the early new year. The PCC remains committed to insourcing services when this is on the public interest. He welcomes the proposal for cleaning but wants to explore services which could be insourced Action: Estates strategy to be presented at February 2026 meeting of the Performance and Governance Board. |
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Item 5
HMICFRS Progress against Improvement Plan |
PCC wished to focus on 5 most significant areas for improvement (AFIs) and work being done to progress them from red/orange to green. BM presented the report and highlighted the amount of work that has been ongoing behind it, aiming to make sustainable improvements and be prepared for next year’s audit. All 17 AFIs are being managed and there is a lot of overlap. All AFIs need continued leadership attention and resource focus. Clear that Bedfordshire Police understand the main challenges and have robust plans and governance in place. PCC thanked BM for the report and said he wants Bedfordshire Police to prioritise in order to make sure resources are there to improve in the areas that matter. CC agreed and wants to see more local context around each force's inspection report in future, given the challenges faced by Bedfordshire.
PCC agreed and also wishes for context around the wider criminal justice system due to the roles played by other agencies. He said that he was making this point with the Home Office and HMICFRS at the Home Office Police Performance Oversight Group. The PCC expressed his concern that progress is not being made as much as is required and said that he is particularly concerned about
Action: December P&G Board to focus solely on PEEL report improvements to dedicate more time to this at future meeting of the Board. |
END
REPORT FOR THE POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER FOR BEDFORDSHIRE - PERFORMANCE & GOVERNANCE BOARD
Date of meeting: Wednesday 24th September 25
Report title: Excellence report
1. Excellence in policing
1.1. Introduction
1.1.1. This reports focuses on some specific areas covered by the Excellence in Policing element of the Commissioners Police and Crime Plan. The report focuses on three distinct areas:
- Recruitment, Retention and Progression;
- Service Insourcing Plan; and
- Estates Strategy, including the Green strategy
1.1.2. The report looks to provide an update against the activity in each of these areas, albeit in relation to the Estates Strategy, as will be explained in the body of the report, there is a fundamental first step that is required around the local policing delivery model, to ensure that the Strategy enables the effectiveness of this, and this is being considered as part of the 2026/27 and Medium Term Business Planning process.
1.1.3. It is also worth highlighting that the focus for the recruitment, retention and progression section of the report will be on Police Officers, but it is worth highlighting that at this stage in the financial year that in relation to Police Staff there is a vacancy freeze, apart from the Force Control Room and PCSOs, to enable spend to reduce in 2025/26 but also to allow for a further review of the vacancies as part of the 2026/27 budgetary process, when the level or service that can be provided, within the financial envelope available, will be considered.
2. Recruitment, Retention and Progression
2.1 Recruitment
2.1.1 Bedfordshire Police are on track to recruit the numbers required for 25/26. Pipelines are good and workforce plan numbers are being tracked closely to balance recruitment with budget.
2.1.2 The Force are on course to be just over the mid-year maintenance target of 1466 and the workforce plan has 4 further cohorts planned in the second half of the year to ensure we will recruit the additional 20 officers required to meet the Neighbourhood Police Guarantee plan by end of the financial year, as depicted in the tables below:
2.1.3 While recruitment levels are on track, as the table below shows there is additional work to do relating increasing diversity in the workforce. The cohorts of new starters shows that approximately just under 60% of new recruits being female. However increasing visible diversity is proving to be more of a challenge.
2.1.4 The recruitment team continually review each step of the recruitment process to ensure that there is sufficient additional support to encourage diversity both at the engagement stage and the recruitment stage itself. Operation Hendrickson has been introduced to specifically provide support for those potential applicants from a Black background, but due to the fact the current cohorts are being filled from the pools prior to this introduction it is hoped that the impacts of this initiative will be felt in the latter part of the financial year.
2.1.5 To further try and increase diversity, responsibility for attraction and engagement has moved to Community Policing from Sept 2025 to utilise the community engagements and greater reach of the Neighbourhood team as an opportunity to promote recruitment and increase applications from under represented groups.
2.2 Retention
2.2.1 Retention is tracked monthly through People and Postings and the Force Executive Board. So far this financial year the attrition rate is running slightly higher than this time last year. This is mainly linked to a higher number of retirements and transferees. However, it is anticipated that attrition rate, which has improved significantly over the last few years, will improve in the latter part of this financial year.
2.2.2 Whilst there has been a higher number of retirements so far this year it is important and pleasing to note, that in the drive to retain experience, whilst the Force continues with a young in service workforce, that 3 have rejoined on the retire and rehire scheme. In relation to transferees, due to the Force having the right level of supervisory roles, some have chosen to transfer on promotion to neighbouring forces, whereas others have determined that lifestyle changes / personal circumstances alongside the location becoming difficult for commuting, mean they have joined other forces closer to where they reside.
2.2.3 The table below shows, as highlighted above, that the attrition rate currently stands at 9.2% compared to a rate of 7.8% last year, but also highlights that the main variation to this was the number of leavers in August being higher than planned, however as mentioned above 7 of these were retirements of which 2 rejoined and 2 were cases where we asked the individuals to leave under Regulation 13.
2.2.4 Whilst further work is being done, as mentioned above, to engage and attract diversity into the organisation it is also the case that officers from ethnic minority groups are exiting the organisation at a higher rate than expected. However, it is worth highlighting that these are aligned to retirement and transfers to other forces to be closer to family rather than as a result of their experience with the organisation. It is also positive that 1 from the 7 came back as police staff.
2.3 Progression / Promotions
2.3.1 The Force have pro-actively, through the work of the Assistant Chief Constable, managing the workforce plan to ensure that the pipeline of promotion is appropriate for the number of vacancies. Due to this good work it is the case that at present there are no vacancies at the level of Chief Superintendent and Superintendent and therefore at this stage no promotion processes are happening, however, this will be reviewed in the new calendar year as part of the ongoing management of the workforce plan.
2.3.2 In relation to Inspectors and Sgts whilst, due to the high level of fluctuation, promotion processes will continue throughout the year it is the case that as at 1st September the number of substantive or temporary i.e. passed a promotion board and are on their WBA is in line with the budgeted establishment as shown below:
|
|
Budgeted Posts |
Substantive in rank |
Temporary following promotion |
|
Inspectors |
73 |
62 |
13 |
|
Sergeants |
159 |
110 |
50 |
The process for Chief Inspector is currently underway with applications due in by 21/09 and the outcomes expected towards the end of October, which obviously may impact on the numbers above.
2.3.3 All of the promotion processes for officers are currently under review locally and across BCH as part of Operation Newstead (a review of the collaborated HR function). Changes are likely to put more emphasis on PDR processes and continual development and also create a wider panel type assessment of candidates to ensure diversity of thought and challenge. It is also intended that the development of the Organisational aspect of Nectar will provide greater opportunity to consider postings and promotions in line with individual spirations and career pathways.
2.3.4 As part of the development of Nectar there is a drive to enhance our diversity data so that account can be taken of it in all of our development processes and provides better understanding of where positive action is required. Currently this is held locally in departments or corporate knowledge of our workforce, which has the impact of lack of assurance that this is being considered appropriately in the decision making processes.
3. Estates Strategy
3.1. The Estates Strategy 2022-27, is currently undergoing a refresh to reflect the changes in the property portfolio since it was produced, including extensive data collation.
3.2. As part of that strategy the Force moved out of RAF Henlow and moved the teams operating from there to a newly leased premise providing them with more space and better working environment, while also removing the constant risk of being given short notice to leave. The lease at The Hawthorns expired and the Ampthill and Flitwick community hub has moved to the new rental site of 2 Doolittle Lane, to which the CET and RACT have also been accommodated, allowing for greater collaboration between the teams. One of the most significant changes to the estate is the new airport base in B90, which addresses all the security and working environment concerns identified with the previous base, while also being future proofed to cope with the expansion of the airport over the next 20 years.
3.3. As mentioned within the introduction of the report, whilst the data collation element required to update the estates strategy is underway, the local policing strategy is also under review alongside a wider piece of work that is considering the service delivery model of our services over the medium to long term to fit in with the expected financial envelope over that period. This work will undoubtedly have an impact on the estates strategy and therefore will be updated alongside the above work over the coming months.
3.4. It is worth highlighting however, that alongside the development of the delivery model and local policing strategy there are a number of local infrastructure changes that will have an impact on our estates strategy including: 1) Universal Studios, 2) Luton Airport Expansion, 3) Luton Town Football Club new stadium, these are alongside the usual ongoing housing growth and road and rail upgrades.
3.5. In the meantime work continues to ensure that the estate is continually updated to ensure that the working environment for officers and staff is as good as it can be, with all developments being undertaken with a sustainability agenda approach, and work also continues around elements of the estate that do not feature as part of the longer term strategy due to their length of useful life or location.
3.6. With regards to sustainability the key elements of the Forces approach are:
- the decarbonisation journey, which continues to follow the Fabric First approach. With the windows replacement programme complete, the focus is currently on roof replacement for HQ and Luton. This work will not only ensure the buildings return to being water tight, but with an increase in insulation, there will also be a reduction in energy wastage. Once the replacement work is complete, the installation of solar PV panels will make a significant contribution to reducing energy consumption on site, which will go some way towards offsetting the demand when the fleet starts its transition to electrification. Battery storage is also being considered as part of this programme.
- Energy efficiency programmes run alongside the decarbonisation programme and include the following:
- light replacement - switching over to LEDs has been completed at HQ and work continues at Luton, and all other sites as part of the minor works refurbishments. It is estimated that the LEDs rollout is in the region of 85-90% complete.
- Hot water boilers - the switch from hot water boilers to the more efficient point of use boilers is now complete at HQ, and work is underway to phase this in wherever possible across the remainder of the estate.
-
- Waste Recycling - has been introduced across the estate including food waste following the change in legislation in April 2025. More work is required in this area, as compliance with the recycling requirements remains stubbornly low.
3.7. It is also worth noting that work with City St George University in regards of a Sustainability project is due to start early 2026, which aims to drive up awareness and commitment to the force’s sustainability aims, with a particular focus on recycling and energy conservation, and everyone’s part to play in achieving those aims.
- Insourcing Plan
4.1. The Commissioner has set out his intention, through his Police and Crime Plan, to bring back in house services that are currently provided by a contractual service i.e. an outsource.
4.2. Unlike some other police services and local authorities Bedfordshire Police has a very limited of services that are outsourced, and where they are in most cases they are for specialist services that are unlikely to be delivered locally by a police service. However PWC have been commissioned to provide an independent assessment and determine which services have the potential to be insourced.
4.3. PWC have finished their assessment work and have produced a draft version of their findings which will be reviewed and then finalised by the end of September. This is attached at Appendix A.
4.4. As can be seen from the Appendix contracts have been assessed as 1) maybe favourable to insource; 2) have some potential to insource fully or partially and 3) not currently favourable to insource.
4.5. At the same time as the assessment of these contracts was being undertaken developments in relation to the cleaning contract have been such that the estimated cost of routine cleaning is unlikely to remain value for money moving forward and therefore it has been agreed that in 2026 cleaning will move to an inhouse provision. This has also been agreed in Herts Constabulary and therefore there is an opportunity to create a joint unit reducing the overhead and supervisory costs as well as providing the ability to provide support to each when resilience is needed.
4.6. Whilst work is now ongoing to determine the delivery model and the type of cleaning that needs to remain with a specialist contractor further work will be undertaken on the 2 services that have been identified in category 1. However, one of these needs to be considered in the light of a potential decision regarding a change of premises before further work is undertaken.
4.7. The independent assessment from PWC now provides the PCC and Chief Constable to do the further work required to consider how those services included in categories 1) and 2) above are taken forward.
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Agenda Item |
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Item 1:
Welcome Minutes of meeting and matters arising
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PCC opened the meeting and noted apologies from CEO Sharn Basra and CFO Phil Wells. Minutes from the previous meeting were agreed. DCC noted that a new process for agreeing papers and actions will be put in place with a meeting between DCC and CEO to be held a week before the Board to finalise these. |
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Item 2 Actions
Information Document |
Action 4 - Victim attrition paper to come to PCC Action 16 - HMICFRS AFI paper to be submitted in October Action 12 - Report on Patrol investigations, problem solving, abstractions (to and from the Patrol function) and culture/victim approach to be brought to next Local Policing spotlight meeting in September. Action 23 – Update on Firearms and Explosives Licensing team. Currently progressing change management project within the team, whilst navigating national changes to licensing. DCC to provide more information in September. The PCC said that he would have expected to see signs of a turnaround by now and must see this by the next meeting of the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire strategic leaders.
Information document agreed for publication |
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Item 3 Spotlight report on prevention
Spotlight report on serious crime
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ACC presented report on prevention, highlighting that Superintendent House who has been in the role of strategic lead for prevention for around 12 months now has developed a strategy and delivery plan, including an internal toolkit to integrate THRIVE+ into the control room and other teams, and is focussing on crime types where reduction in recorded crimes is the ultimate aim. PCC thanked ACC for the report and asked what the future looks like for the superintendent role, knowing that the current officer will be moving on. CC reassured that it will be under the leadership of an appropriate leader but not decisions were not confirmed yet. The individual will be ensuring strong links between prevention and local policing to make sure that evidence is captured and learning and development is collected from previous projects such as Dallow Cares. PCC asked how success will be measured in terms of prevention. CC said that this will happen over a long period of time with many external influences. Work must be undertaken to embed prevention into day-to-day activities, with looking at longer term outcomes and by linking to any crime reduction trends. Bedfordshire Police are now tracking crime types differently but not able to always track prevention exactly. The success of place-based prevention is beyond any one single agency. PCC asked if there is a centralised monitoring of problem solving, holding both the police and partners to account. CC reported that police want to do this but more services and support from local authorities and a more coordinated approach. PCC acknowledged that some of the processes must be standardised in order to demonstrate successes and benefits of prevention.
ACC presented report including details on serious violence, serious youth violence, serious organised crime and fraud. Bedfordshire Police continue to be dependent on grants to tackle serious crime effectively in the county. PCC thanked ACC for the report and asked that as fraud is now a new pillar in the PEEL inspection, how confident is CC that Beds police will perform well against the criteria? CC reported that senior officers are currently focussing on the volume of fraud cases relative to the solved crime rate. Fraud is tackled at a local, regional and national level. Prevention makes the biggest difference. The ability at a national level to run prevention campaigns makes the most impact and at a local level the comms team can do the same. Teams need to be more proactive and offender-led to be successful in the investigations. PCC asked if there is a case for rebalancing the allocation of cases between regional and local teams. CC has recently visited the regional team who are successfully enforcing against newly identified courier fraud offenders within a few days. The Regional teams are highly effective at dealing with the cyber-dependent crimes. In relation to the special grants for Boson and Costello, PCC asked how the evidence of the 2003 recognition of the disproportionate allocation of funding has changed, or improved. CC said that the number of areas in Bedfordshire that have levels of deprivation, challenging socioeconomic backgrounds, and varying health and education outcomes etc, can lead to a higher risk of being drawn into crime. These combined with other factors including transport networks in the county also link Bedfordshire to increased risks from serious organised crime. More early intervention is needed and is being prioritised but thanks to the special grants, the impact on organised crime is huge and would not be without it. The Boson team have been taking primacy for serious youth violence offences with a positive impact. They work very proactively and often respond to warrants. Referring to the report, PCC asked when did the national strategy come in and has this only just been reviewed against 4P plan? CC confirmed that this is the latest strategy and guidance and the national portfolio has successfully influenced changes to the law around the selling of knives etc and this is very current, in line with the government’s commitment to halve knife crime. PCC asked about the current knife crime strategy, observing an upward trend in the Bedford area and asked about prevention. ACC responded that Bedfordshire Police are seeking to focus on early intervention, working with schools and putting long-term solutions in place. The upward trends in recorded knife crime are short term and are not statistically significant. PCC asked if the recently formed drug focus desk would benefit from more resources. CC said too early to tell but seen as good practice and is designed to take pressure away from CID. This will be reviewed during budgeting process but the benefit to this team is clear in terms of problem solving. When a PWITS offender leaves custody without the drugs on bail they are at higher risk of carrying a knife or firearm. Therefore this is an impetus to get to a charge or other outcome whilst in custody. ACC noted changes in drug market profile nationally, with no significant difference in Bedfordshire, but with increased use of synthetics and ketamine which seems to be being under tackled by the system. Spike in the data is due to change in recording. No access to shared data to be able to identify early signs e.g. shared from education sector. PCC asked about community engagement, particularly with education - what more can be done? ACC noted work of both the Education and Diversion teams as well as the VEPP which are particularly dedicated to reaching those outside education or been excluded. This needs more work from the whole system. |
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Item 5 Safer Streets And NPG requirements
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The report was presented and noted and there will be further reports on Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee to come at next meeting under local policing spotlight report. |
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Item 4
Risk |
No changes to risk other than that freeze on police staff recruitment continues to extend everywhere other than PCSOs. |
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Item 5
HMICFRS Progress against Improvement Plan |
DCC has met with the force liaison officer whose assessment is that Bedfordshire Police is making progress and who has confirmed that the current approach is correct - DCC was reassured. The biggest area of concern is attendance times and responding to the public, including the abandonment of 101 calls. DCC is prioritising this and working to ensure that there is a clear plan to see that the additional measures will show improvements. This will require a medium-term culture change. PCC thanked Executive and asked for further updates at future meetings. |
END
REPORT FOR THE POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER FOR BEDFORDSHIRE - PERFORMANCE & GOVERNANCE BOARD
Date of meeting: August 2025
Agenda item
Report title: Serious Crime March 2025
Bedfordshire Police is committed to the tackling of Serious & Organised Crime (SOC)
Bedfordshire has 34 community neighborhoods listed among the 20 percent most-income deprived in all of England (Census 2021).
Our geographic location and infrastructure – with rail and road links to large metropolitan forces and an international airport make Bedfordshire fertile breeding and recruitment ground for Organised crime and urban gangs.
Our effective understanding of the scale and complexity of these issues has meant we are in receipt of additional grants from successful Home Office funding bids. (Costello and Boson)
In October 2023 HMICFRS provided a report which concluded that;
- Bedfordshire suffers from a disproportionate level of violent crime.
- Bedfordshire Police OCG participate in the large-scale supply of drugs and use extreme violence to further their aims and protect their territory.
- The force must contend with widespread associated serious youth violence.
The HMICFRS concluded that neither BOSON nor COSTELLO can be considered conventional special grant operations with foreseeable end dates. “Both are long-term responses to profoundly serious crime issues.”
An independent review by CREST in August 2024 identified that in Bedfordshire we have “a unique pattern across homicides which suggests they are more interrelated…… more often linked to county lines and drug related offending.”
We have dedicated teams who use proactive tactics to manage the threat through engagement, intervention, and enforcement, with notable successes
Illicit drugs are the prime commodity for OCG and its supply is often the foundation of serious organised crime (SOC) and related violence.
89% of all Mapped SOC / OCG activity in Bedfordshire is directly linked to illicit drugs as the primary threat.
Serious and Organsed Crime in Bedfordshire is tackled through a multi-layered strategy involving intelligence-led operations, regional coordination, and community-focused disruption. The SOC Silver Group, chaired by Supt Graham Bates, continues to drive operational oversight, supported by analysts, LROs, and intelligence officers
The SOC strategy aligns with national priorities, including the 4P framework (Prevent, Protect, Prepare, Pursue), and is reinforced by tools like the new SOC Threat Management App and the SOC Menu of Tactics. A new Digital 4P plan has recently been rolled out in the hope of standardisation.
The most Serious violence crime trends show a peak during June which is in line with the peak demand during the summer policing period.
However, the solved crime is higher than this time last year, with a positive trajectory. This highlights that despite the demand during the Summer, solved crime rates have maintained a good level.
The current month Solved rate is: 31.7% for HO Serious Violence crimes.
Knife Crime
Knife crime remains a force priority under the Serious and Organised Crime (SOC) control strategy, with governance led through the Knife Crime Silver and Gold meetings. The overarching aim is to reduce knife-enabled harm, particularly among under-25s in non-domestic settings, while increasing public trust and confidence
The strategy is structured around the national 4P framework—Pursue, Prevent, Protect, and Prepare—with each strand owned by designated leads and tracked through RAID and performance dashboards
The existing 4P Plan for Knife Crime has been reviewed against the national strategy and delivery plan. Work is progressing to realign the plan post review.
Silver level governance has also changed - revised with a more tactical approach whereby individuals of concern will be assigned to designated owners, who will then be responsible for presenting a clear operational plan of action, scrutinised and supported at the silver governance meeting.
A structured process is in place for handling intelligence related to Habitual Knife Crime carriers. Initial checks are conducted by the BOSON team, after which relevant teams are tasked with obtaining warrants.
Serious Youth Violence
The BOSON team take primacy of the Serious Youth Violence offences, investigating reactively, but developing intelligence proactively in order to intercept and safeguard.
The Force chairs the Serious youth violence monthly meeting with the aims to:
- To review and respond to serious youth violence cases.
- To share intelligence across agencies (police, social care, education, health).
- To identify at-risk individuals and coordinate safeguarding plans.
- To monitor trends and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions.
The aim and objectives of the meeting is too:
- Early intervention: Identifying young people before violence escalates.
- Disruption tactics: Targeting gang activity and criminal networks.
- Safeguarding: Ensuring young people are protected from exploitation.
- Community engagement: Building trust and resilience in affected areas.
- Training and awareness: Upskilling professionals to spot signs of SYV.
Over 150 young people identified as at risk of SYV or exploitation were referred for multi-agency support plans
These included:
- Relocation from high-risk areas
- Mental health and trauma support
- School reintegration and mentoring
FRAUD
All fraud offences referred to the force by Action Fraud are subject to triage by one DS in SFIU and then allocated across the force.
24/25 (FY) saw 5460 Bedfordshire victims call Action Fraud. 1637 were sent to force for triage and investigation so levels of reported fraud are slowly rising.
Solved rates are declining from 41 in quarter 2 of 24/25 to 18 in quarter 1 of 25/26. The best solved rates in recent months were spread across PPU, Crime and Patrol and generally equate to 1-3 crimes solved per month.
Cyber Fraud:
There is and will be a shift in the new financial year to concentrate more on the ‘Protect and prevent’ side of Cyber enabled criminality which will include Cyber fraud, simply because a vast amount of this criminality is commenced outside of the UK. Therefore, a Protect angle is better preventing the public and businesses becoming victims in the first place.
The Prevent (Cyber Choices) is likely to align to the Pursue teams as the notices must be delivered to the suspects by a cop and not staff who currently investigate them.
Protect investigations
Over the last quarter beds have provided 126 individual victims of Cyber enabled criminality by either face to face, phone and or follow up email.
Protect Events
31 events with local businesses and charities totalling 751 individuals provided with Protect and Prevent advice
Cyber Resilience Centre
Beds referred 11 local businesses to the CRC, who have all signed up for bespoke support at various levels, having been victims of some kind of scam.
COMMS
The comms strategy is tightly aligned with SOC objectives, particularly around prevention, intelligence gathering, and public reassurance. Key campaigns and initiatives include:
- Lost Boys Campaign: A major success, with nearly 100 additional intelligence submissions on drug supply in June alone—145 more than the same period in 2024. This campaign is now being monitored for long-term impact, including school-based reporting mechanisms in partnership with Education and Diversion.
- The “Just Drop It” campaign has led to the surrender of 3,577 knives, the highest figure in over five years.
Other initiatives designed to tackle SOC are:
- The “Not My Child” exploitation awareness event drew over 100 parents and partners, featuring lived experience speakers and expert panels. Future events are scheduled for October (Bedford), November (Central Beds), and December (Luton), with planning led by Louisa Glynn from VEPP and DCI Tom Stean
- Crimestoppers Partnership: A new trial project will run across Central, North, and South Beds, combining social media, mobile screen vans, and posters to circulate live-time wanted subjects. This includes a monthly “Most Wanted” campaign with enhanced rewards of up to £20k per arrest
REPORT FOR THE POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER FOR BEDFORDSHIRE - PERFORMANCE & GOVERNANCE BOARD
Date of meeting: 27/08/25
Agenda item
Report title: Spotlight Prevention paper
Executive overview
1.1. This report centres around the Prevention mission in the Police and Crime Plan and in that regard, progress can be summarised as an overview of the current prevention and problem-solving initiatives within the Force, highlighting key achievements, ongoing efforts, and future plans.
1.2. Our prevention and problem-solving strategy is designed to make Bedfordshire a safer place for all our communities. By everyone using it effectively, we can sustainably reduce harm, reduce offending and reduce demand.
1.3. By focusing on proactive measures, with prevention and a partnership problem-solving approach, we can address the root causes of criminal behaviour rather than merely responding to incidents after they occur. This approach will foster a safer environment and where aligned to a communications element, will also build trust and collaboration between us and the communities we serve.
1.4. Bedfordshire Police has made significant strides in enhancing its prevention and problem-solving capabilities in general terms and also in areas of specific focus such as Domestic Abuse, Tackling Knife Crime and Serious Violence. National work on prevention performance measures is in progress to standardise the approach, while local performance measures are evolving. A comprehensive strategy and governance framework are in place and continuously developing.
Performance overview
2.2 Through Prevention Tactical meetings, we are enabling our capability to increase the volume of solved crimes across Tier 1 and 2 Control Strategy crime categories and across the teams and partnerships to enable us to keep people safe.
2.3. KPIs will reduce harm and offending and support improvement of the solved crime rates by preparing for reasonably predictable surge demand in advance and reducing the volume of offences. This include staffing of key areas, training, Comms, crime prevention advice, partners involvement.
In addition, we are developing Problem-solving to reduce repeat demand across the broader areas of the organisation. Criteria for Problem-solving (subject to agreement) should include:
- FTTCG Priority (where appropriate)
- All Analyst products commissioned through Silver and FTTCG meetings and other identified issues where there is an urgency and risk giving a need to respond urgently
- Community Priority Setting identified problems
- Hotspot Action Fund Hotspot/top crime location
- Top Crime Locations per CSP (subject to agreement i.e. drive offs, A & E, Police Stations etc could be excluded)
- Top high demand offender (identified by local CSP CI) for each CSP
- Top Repeat ASB Victim for each CSP
- Top Habitual Knife Carrier for each CSP
- Where suitable, other persistent/chronic and emerging issues, where SARA model problem solving will support reduction of demand, harm, offending vulnerability etc. Red RAG rated Individuals through other forums like CE or DA for example – this will be subject to training, PMP access and development of some test cases.
2.5 Management of PMP non-crime case workloads needs to improve to be more effective in this area.
2.6 The Summer Partnership Policing Plan
2.7 Delivers Safer Streets through problem-solving, demand reduction and prevention plans with partners
2.8 Recent meetings identified a drive regarding problem-solving is required, there is some evidence of sustainable plans for crime prevention being implemented for priority and Town Centre hotspots. This need expanding and performance management .The Hotspot Action Fund plan should see at least one Problem-Solving plan for each of the 13 hotspots
2.9 There has been overall reduced offending of Serious Violence/ASB through the effective identification and policing of hotspots (Op Salus) experienced in the year 2024/25
Current approach in Force (national best practice) – what are we doing and what is out there nationally
3.1 The below synopsis is a refresh of previously provided detail.
3.2 The Force is represented at the Regional Prevention Meeting where sharing of best practice is achieved.
3.3 The Force recently presented as guest speakers at a national problem-solving conference on our approach to Problem Oriented Policing (POP) operations
3.4 The Force is aligning its efforts with national best practices, focusing on key features and characteristics of effective problem-solving. This includes:
- Engaging partners in the journey: partners are engaged in key forums at all levels, beyond the more traditional areas like Public Protection issue, these include Prevention Gold Group, Tackling Knife Crime Gold and Organised Crime Groups (OCG) and County Lines. This supports an all systems approach and collaboration in the prevention space. This is ongoing.
- Online Toolkit: An online toolkit has been developed and launched to equip staff with reference material and in Prevention & Problem-Solving. Maintenance and upgrades are ongoing.
- Integrated Offender Management (IOM) are successfully working with Youth Services Probation and other partners to manage offenders and address the causes of offending. This is ongoing.
- Innovation: The Force is currently developing a pioneering a project using Artificial Intelligence to assist with Problem-solving approaches that will save officer time spent at a desk, improve reduction of harm, offending and demand. This is ongoing.
- Education and Diversion: have secured innovative Virtual Reality Headsets and a bespoke Bedfordshire Knife crime package has been commissioned and is being filmed. This is ongoing.
- Education and Diversion: have secured innovative Virtual Reality Headsets and a bespoke Bedfordshire Knife crime package has been commissioned and is being filmed. This is ongoing. The Education and Diversion Team regularly create accessible, community-based programmes, particularly over the school holidays and frequently partner with local youth provisions, sports clubs and community organisations to run and support workshops and engagement events. (Over the last year the team supported 414 partnership events across Bedfordshire)
The team’s diversion and early intervention referral process is also open to NEET children and young people and we frequently receive referrals form a number of social workers based in all three local authority children service teams for young people who are not attending education.
In addition, the team always try to engage with home schooled young people and link in on a regular basis with the local authorities to ensure opportunities are open to them.
The Luton AMBER unit (Collaboration between Luton Youth Partnership Service and Beds Police Education and Diversion Team) is also focussing diversionary activities where it will make the most difference and initial conversations have also taken place with the Bedford Borough and Central Bedfordshire Youth Justice Service to look at developing something in those areas.
What is going well
4.1 Delivery plan 1.0
- Problem solving and Prevention toolkit - online toolkit to equip staff in Prevention & Problem-Solving Complete. Maintenance and upgrades ongoing
- Introduction of '+' in THRIVE+ is embedding the mindset for prevention into our culture. - All staff will have had training (accompanied by Comms campaign and toolkit) and was mandated in July to ensure consistent risk assessment and increase focus on prevention, compliance to be raised at FPB.
- Develop & Provide training at all levels to equip staff in Prevention and Problem-Solving SMT Delivered, POP UCL Training delivered to 20 Analysts and 20 Midline managers from across the Force.
- Home Office ACE project delivering to two teams in Octans and Luton TC with CCEBP.
- End of March 2025 all PCSOs embarked on an NVQ 3 for Crime Prevention (Problem-Solving and Environmental Audits included) Of the 32 PCSOs in progress, the first 19 have been confirmed as successful so far –
- Proposed method of recording and tracking through Beds Connect (for AFI 5) (Op Honeysuckle)
- Policy/procedure, Powers BI Tool and PMF for Athena Problem-Solving Proactive Management Plans (PMP)-was Completed Nov 2024 – Still needs driving through NHP Performance
- Delivering against Gap Analysis of our strategy and HMICFRS to understand our current position and implement/embed measures to continuously improve- Gap analysis complete, working through this to address the biggest gaps first, via Prevention Gold Group -good progress tracked through RAID and ongoing
- Embed prevention and problem-solving into new and existing governance, (including NIM and FPB) processes to deliver strategy and plan as business as usual – Work in progress
- Design and deliver POP Operations to tackle Control Strategy issues - Currently have Salus, Octans, Highgate 2, Metal, Mercury Blade, and have just started work with Accelerated Capability Environment (Home Office)
- Map all Primary, Secondary and Tertiary preventions already in place - Initial Mapping Progress complete. Will be diarised for refresh.
4.2 Tackling Knife Crime – Full governance, Partnership focus, 4P Plan and all aligned to National best practice
4.3 Mental Health Demand – progressing principles of Right Care Right Person, working with partners to prevent
What’s next/future plans
8.1 Delivery Plan 2.0 – Strands based on Problem Analysis Triangle
- Reducing Young and Recidivist Offenders with an all systems approach –
- Reducing Reoffending Board (RRB) a Probation led multi-agency group. The Drug Profile suggested offenders slip through cracks where not managed by IOM or probation.
- RRB continues post release. Response from Probation suggests whilst there are key crossovers and opportunities with the reducing reoffending and prevention agendas, all individuals who are released will have probation supervision so there is no offender management gap other than for those recalled and released at sentence expiry without any licence which is rarer. Meeting set for 06/08/25 with Probation.
- Continuum of Intervention and reducing offending, reoffending and recidivsm:
- Education and Diversion
- Youth Endowment Prevention Panels (YEPP)
- YOS/YPS
- SYVP/MagPan
- OMU (IOM/VSOMT)
- MAPPA
- Focussed Deterrence (FD)
- Target Hardening Bedfordshire People and Communities with partners
- Education and Diversion
- Targeted Crime Prevention Advice – based on tasking, to victims of crime, in surveys
- Prevention Tactical preparing for predicted surges in demand
- Safer Places - Making the most crimogenic locations safer with partners and Communities Place based POP operations and increased routine problem-solving
- Innovation and Continuous Improvement -More CPD, Training, capture of learning
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Present: |
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John Tizard, Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) |
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Trevor Rodenhurst, Chief Constable – Police Service (CC) |
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In Attendance: |
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John Murphy, Assistant Chief Constable – Police Service (ACC) |
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Phil Wells, Chief Finance Officer – ACO Police Service/OPCC (PW) |
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Sharn Basra, Chief Executive – OPCC (SB) |
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Katie Beaumont, Head of Governance and Transparency – OPCC (KB) |
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Lara Lewis, Staff Officer – PCC (LL) |
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Melanie Kight, Staff Officer DCC – police Service (MK) |
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Hannah Wilkinson, Head of ERSOU – Police Service (HW) |
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Karena Thomas, Assistant Chief Constable, BCHJoint Protective Services (KT) |
Item 1: Welcome Minutes of meeting held and for agreement and matters arising
PCC opened the meeting and welcomed Hannah Wilkinson and Karena Thomas from ERSOU and JPS.
Apologies noted from Deputy Chief Constable.
Minutes from the previous meeting were agreed.
Item 2: Actions Information Document
Victims support
JM reported
- The new GovMetric survey to assess victim experience both after 7 days and at the end of the investigation started in November 2024 and gets an uptake of around 7% with around 65 completed of each survey type per month currently.
- The Business Change Board is looking at the capability to have surveys available in additional languages (Currently only available in English and Welsh). Telephone surveys are embedding well for victims of DA with around 72% completion.
PCC: asked– how is the data used and how is attrition being monitored and addressed
JM: replied that it is reviewed by the Investigations Standards Delivery Board and a highlight report shows trends.
CC: stated action is being taken to improve the use of data and the processes.
Action: PCC required a further review of this the next Victims Spotlight P&G meeting. CC
CC: said that a report on victim attrition will be presented to PCC very soon.
PCC: commented that partnership working across the CJS is vital to understand victim attrition and action must be taken to reduce it
PCC: asked about the use of Outcome 16
CC: said that it is being reviewed and a full report will be presented including an assessment of its effectiveness
Live Facial Recognition
CC: said that the LFR system would be going life as part of the safer streets, safer town centres. Bedfordshire Police will comply with all national regulations
PCC: welcomed this new system and said that he would have a strategic role to agree strategic application but not operational decisions. He is setting up an ethics panel which amongst other matters scrutinise the use of LFR
The PCC and CC have agreed an MoU on the use of LFR and their respective roles and accountabilities
Action – publish the MoU - KB
Finance
PCC: he will setting strategic parameters for the PBP for the 2026/27 budget
Action: arrange a meeting between PCC, CC, PW and BS asap - LL
Action: Information document was agreed for publication - KB
Item 3: Crime performance figures with restricted detail
JM presented the quarterly report on Bedfordshire Police performance
JM highlighted:
- Spike in all crime types. Seasonal spikes are much greater than they have been previously
- Solved crime rate to 30th June stands at 12.7%, a 1.5% percentage point increase on the same period last year (was 11.2%)
- Prevention work needs to be the priority.
- Modern Day Slavery has increased by 160% compared to last year because of how Bedfordshire Police are dealing with referrals and drugs trafficking increasing because of proactive work.
- Focussing on reducing serious and organised crime to directly reduce homicide. No homicide recorded since February 2025.
- 145 cases of fraud every month but the solved rate is around 6.5% which needs to be understood – work ongoing through Force Performance Board.
- Lowest levels of residential burglary being recorded ever.
- Business Robbery has seen a 533% increase compared to last year (3 offences last year compared to 17 this year). This is likely to be due to the change in the recording of offences relating to assaults on retail staff during the commission of shoplifting offences.
- Personal robbery- slight upward trend through 3 months with a series in Luton town centre which led to deployment of community in town centre at night with several arrests to curtail the series. Focussing on prevention to cut robbery rates.
- Serious violence offences have increased due to the inclusion of vehicle crimes such as ‘death by dangerous driving’. 11 offences recorded in June.
- ASB at very low levels, especially Bedford town centre due to work being carried out in town centres over the summer. Levels comparable to what you would ordinarily experience in January/February.
- Trafficking of Drugs has seen a 190.3% increase in recorded crime. This is likely to be due to proactive activity.
- Modern Day Slavery has seen a 160% increase compared to last year. This is likely to be due to the change in how NRM referrals are now recorded.
- Child Neglect has seen a 177.8% increase – the increase appears to be mainly in relation to the offence of Cruelty to and Neglect of Children. Initial analysis shows the increase is likely to be due to there having been 9 families where there are two or more children recorded as a victim of neglect in June. More specifically there are 2 families with 4 children each – each child has a separate crime recorded.
PCC: thanked JM for the report
PCC: asked what impact the increased demand is having on the Control Room and the 999 and 101 response rates.
CC: Improvements in reporting and control room has given a better picture of the demand but also means higher demand to deal with. When there is a surge in calls such as if there is an RTC on a motorway there can be a delay and the KPI drops below 10 seconds but mostly meeting requirements without any overtime. 101 calls should be answered within 2 minutes or 7 minutes if non-urgent.
PCC: asked what work can be done to reduce the 40% demand that is not police related to alleviate pressure from 101
CC: Police are looking at innovation including automated voice services as well as diversion of calls to other agencies.
PCC: asked what performance looks like around response arrival times and how well Patrol function is performing in both responding to incidents and managing caseloads
CC: Improvements being made in Patrol function to alleviate pressure and give officers more resilience. More leaders being placed into department to oversee investigations. Reviewing grading of incidents to ensure all those graded as needing an immediate response do require one. Reviewing operating model and management of demand.
PCC: said that he is concerned about performance relating to responding to the public including response time against the 15-minute target and the trend in the 999 call handling times. He will require a further report and actions for improvement.
Action: CC to report at next P&G meeting on progress
PCC: Personal robberies are going up, but solved rate is going down. How is this being addressed?
CC: Piloting a new capability to link offenders to other offences. Will be evidential and will help to crack down on linked series.
PCC: How is demand in specialist teams being managed?
CC: PVP struggling with demand - have given them more resources. Also looking at community teams taking on a higher caseload.
PCC: There has been a significant increase in DA cases with lots carried by Patrol. Are these low level? What is the quality of the handover to Emerald?
CC: Some of those investigations will be non-intimate DA. Ones in Patrol will be for administrative reasons/low level actions / cases held by student officers.
PCC: Serious Youth Violence has gone up. Are prevention methods not working?
Action: JM to provide an update at the next P&G Serious Crime spotlight meeting
Item 5: Safer Streets Summer Initiative
JM reported excellent results from community policing and partners in Bedford, Luton, Biggleswade, Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard as part of the Safer Streets Summer Initiative. For example, in Bedford in July a day of action led to:
- 200+ public and business engagements
- 1 arrest
- 22 Community Protection Warnings (CPWs) issued
- 6 Community Protection Notices (CPNs) issued
- 2 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) issued
- St Peter’s Gardens: engagement with street drinkers, partner signposting, and intelligence submissions
PCC: said he was pleased at the initial results and had received positive feedback from councillors and local people across the six areas. He as particularly impressed by the partnership approach between Luton Borough Council, Luton BID and Bedfordshire Police. This should be the model elsewhere and he is disappointed that the other local authorities cannot match Luton’s commitment and contribution#
Actions
- PCC to review and submit performance data and narrative to Home Office on 14 August
- Consideration to be given to measuring public perception of the campaign
- A more detailed review of the campaign will be undertaken at a September P&G board
Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee
PCC: asked if police are on track to meet the seven targets set by the Home Secretary and supported by himself for Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee by the end of the July.
CC: said he is confident.
PCC: wants evidence of more proactive communications and good relations between councillors and neighbourhood police officers.
PCC: asked about abstraction rates in neighbourhood policing.
CC: A balance is needed and relying on leaders to put resources in the right place to ensure police can respond to serious and immediate calls.
Action: CC to present detailed report on performance against HO targets for NPG to next P&G board
Item 4: Risk
CFO presented reports on quarterly finance reports CFO
CC: Bedfordshire Police may have to send officers to other forces if there is unrest.
CC: is monitoring intelligence about social tensions and potential criminality
Item 6: Collaboration
Joint Protective Services
Eastern Region Special Operations Unit
Joint Chief Officers Board: KT presented report on performance of Joint Protective Services including Armed Policing, Roads Policing, Dog Unit, Operational Support and Major Crime Unit. Highlights from the report included:
Armed Policing Unit
- Vacancies - 19 - high due to promotions/retirements/resignations
- About to start a new course to bring down vacancies
- Good output of the unit
- Average firearms incidents less than 1 a day in Bedfordshire
- 10 incidents where firearms officers assisting
Roads Policing Unit
- Risk around fleet availability due to maintenance issues
- Fewer fatal than previous years. Bedfordshire is currently averaging 2 fatal per mth
- Main trend is still young motorcyclists.
Dog Unit
- Good use of the service by Bedfordshire Police
- Bedfordshire have least number of dangerous dogs in kennels but highest number of days. Looking at how to streamline through Criminal Justice System (CJS).
- Budget pressure remains
Operational Support
- Risk is having to get public order training elsewhere due to lack of facilities and the decision not to modernise the Monkswood facility. Working with Norfolk to get a sustainable plan
- Drone use is going well and working alongside FRS
- BCH is highest user of drones in policing in the county - much more efficient than NPAS helicopter service for many incidents
Major Crime Unit
- Current gap in resourcing is being addresses
- Court hours are very high
PCC: thanked KT for the report and asked if Major Crime Unit capacity is manageable.
KT: replied that it is.
PCC: asked what proactive work is being done to reduce young motorcyclists’ accidents
KT: Road Safety Partnership leading on Project Apex which addresses this.
HW presented report on ERSOU performances and gave highlights including:
Regional Organised Crime Unit
- 37 pieces of work impacting in Bedfordshire, 46 in Essex and 22 in Norfolk
- Priorities: significant harm/western Balkans/OIC/drones
- Recent arrests in Romania for serious crime
- Working well with Bedfordshire Police including the Boson team and other teams to alleviate demand - depends on technique and capacity
CTP
- Prevent referrals have gone up recently
- 60 nominals currently
- Looking at right wing terrorism as this is growing area of concern
Staff Survey - 82% positive. Indicated areas of visibility and queries about fairness around opportunities.
PCC asked about:
- Staffing levels and pressures
- Relations with seven police services
- Accommodation requirements
HW responded:
- Staffing is ok but always under review, if it slips pressure moves to forces
- Good operational and strategic relations with all forces
- The future office requirements are being reviewed
PCC: said he had recently visited ERSOU and had had a good briefing from the ACC. He is also a member of the ERSOU Board. He looks forward to the outcome of the current resource and budget review.
PCC: asked what the current state of play is at the Firearms and Explosives Licencing Service as performance continues to very unsatisfactory despite repeated promises that is improving.
CC: reported that Bedfordshire Police have introduced the AI Nectar system which has gone life this week. It should lead to improvements over time, but the system and business processes need major overhaul. The introduction of additional officers and staff has not made the turn around that had been hoped for so major change is now taking place.
It would cost over £4m to get the staffing levels to where they need to be without the use of Nectar.
Bedfordshire’s DCC and ACO (PW) are taking a direct interest, and the three BCH CCs are monitoring progress.
Action
- Police to agree communications plan and messaging – CC
- PCC to raise again at next BCH Strategic Alliance Summit - PCC
- PCC to require monthly updates – CC
Item 7: HMICFRS Improvement Plan
CC will be bringing a full paper back to future meeting in the full format required by the PCC
Action: CC to report to future P&G Boards and to keep PCC posted in between these meetings.
Item 8: Quarterly Reporting
Efficiency – Finance
CFO presented finance reports.
Police Service: Overspend as previously reported is being carefully managed to aim for break even by year end.
Capital expenditure current forecasts suggest that spend will be approximately £0.5M less than originally planned. Sale of Greyfriars site is critically important and pressure continues to be made on Bedfordshire Borough Council to resolve the current blockage.
PCC: asked for reassurance that measures being taken to constrain police expenditure such a tight control on overtime and staff recruitment freeze were not adversely impacting on performance. He requested regular reports.
PCC: said that he would be keen to look at a three-year financial plan which might avoid excessive constraints in current year.
Action: the report was noted
OPCC
Current forecast is for a breakeven end of year
Action: PW and BS to review forecast
Item 9: Complaints Reviews
The one complaint against the CC had been dismissed rapidly by the IPOC as not having any validity.
10 PSD reviews outstanding being completed by OPCC.
Item 10: AOB
CC reported that an Assistant Chief Constable has been appointed by Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Police services to review conduct matters. This will reduce demand on the time of the current ACCs.
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Item 1:
Welcome Minutes of meeting held and for agreement and matters arising
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PCC opened the meeting and welcomed Superintendent Skarratts and Berni Marchant. Apologies noted from Deputy Chief Constable and Assistant Chief Constable. Minutes from the previous meeting were agreed. |
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Item 2 Actions
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Respect Orders – Due to there being little national development on this it was agreed to close the action and review in due course. FD has contacted Luton Council and will update if any more information. |
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Item 3 Performance Spotlight Reports
Protecting Women and Children
Putting victims at the heart of the criminal justice system
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PCC thanked Detective Superintendent Dave Skarratts from the Public Protection Unit for the report on progress against the Police and Crime Plan mission to protect women and children. Bedfordshire Police’s ‘MVAWG agenda’ focuses on male violence against women and girls and the relentless pursuit of perpetrators through the use of enhanced data/technology capabilities and prevention orders. Det. Sup. Skarratts gave performance highlights from the report: · For all VAWG offending - solved rate is average 10% for last year. For MVAWG it is 15% · For Domestic Abuse crimes solved rate remains around 12% each month · For rape cases the solved rate averaged at 7% for the last year. · For serious sexual offences it was 7.7% which puts Bedfordshire at 32nd nationally. Due to victim engagement work there has been a 21.9% increase in rapes recorded and 21.1% increase in other serious sexual offences which has affected national rankings. · 8 DA related homicides in Beds since 2022 - 6 events · Improvements are being made in the use of DVPO, DVPN and SPOs · Clares Law - use of AI has led to huge number of referrals · Forced marriages - 6 cases have resulted in forced marriage prevention order – more of a focus on this now. · Police are working with partners to ensure effective safeguarding and prevention. A new dedicated Detective Chief Superintendent is now working on the development of a countywide Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub with all three local authorities and is reviewing and improving the quality and timeliness of safeguarding referrals. · Due to the success of Op Soteria implementation in the RASSO teams, the principles are now being introduced in the domestic abuse teams · Proactive work around CSE including using surveillance, covert capabilities etc. · Working to ensure officers are receiving specialist training for both investigation and victim care eg. VCOP compliance. · The lack of capacity and experience in detective teams is a challenge faced by Bedfordshire Police as it is nationally. · Detective must also deal with delays when working with CPS and the court service.
PCC referred to the National Audit on Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, asking what Bedfordshire Police’s current position is and if there are any risks in terms of historic cases? CC: There was a request for forces to share details of cases which have been previously closed with no further action, and this was responded to. Some cases were successful and some that were given ‘no further action’ by CPS. A letter was received from the NCA saying there will be further national work undertaken using learning from the Rotheram investigation, and examination of victim care records. There may be a requirement for in due course for local authorities to look at cases which may not have been referred to police. The ongoing work to look at countywide safeguarding teams improvements including using AI to search and find operational risks and opportunities from the data is likely to be a key enabler for this. CC would like Bedfordshire Police to be at the forefront of this. Awaiting visit by Hydrant in July and reviewing resources using a serious and organised crime-led approach.
PCC: The solved rates for rape and serious sexual offences (7%) are not good enough. Why do we think this is? Are there underlying issues both internal and external - what action is being taken given the limited resources? Is increased reporting higher than other police services? CC: This is a challenging area and with high demand and finite resources however he is committed to improving the solved rate and reducing victim attrition. It should also be recognised that victim attrition occurs at various stages of the criminal justice process journey and long court back log and adjournments all contribute to this challenge.
ACTION – PCC to raise concerns around victim attrition and low charge/solved rates for rape and serious sexual offences at the next meeting of the criminal justice board.
DPCC: I note that the specific officer training around female genital mutilation stopped last year which coincided in a reduction of cases of identified FGM and honour-based violence. Does the lack of cases corelate with the stopping of the training?
DPCC: What progress has been made in terms of the stalking super complaint and stalking prevention orders including identifying behaviours?
DPCC: pleased about voice of the child listening circles- what are the objectives? Is there any support PCC and office can give?
PCC: What processes are in place to ensure getting the right balance of detectives across each specialised unit?
PCC: Has the recording of demographic data improved? CC: Yes, and we are looking to continue improve improve data quality.
PCC thanked Detective Superintendent Dave Skarratts from the Public Protection Unit for the report on progress against the Police and Crime Plan mission to put victims at the heart of the criminal justice system. Det. Sup. Skarratts gave performance highlights from the report: · The dedicated Force Victims Board was established in November 2024 for oversight of compliance with VCOP · Victim support - 100 high harm surveys and listening circles introduced in May 2025 · 94.4% ‘victims need assessments’ completed but focus is on the quality- dip sampling being used to assess this · Referrals to Bedfordshire Victim Care Services stands at around 20% · The police service are looking at the possibility of establishing a scrutiny panel to assess VCOP compliance. · Also exploring the use of AI for translation to overcome language barriers.
PCC: when do you think victims will see improvement in terms of he take up of the victim support offer? This is critical and we need to see rapid improvement. CC: He is looking for steady progress with a focus on quality of referrals to ensure those that will benefit get a quality referral. Teams first need to ensure that they always consider a referral- investing in victim champions and improved governance now in place.
DPCC: There has been a clear shift in focus to focus on victim instead of perpetrator. Are there targets for VCOP compliance? CC: Aiming for 100% compliance. PCC: intends to strengthen the role of the OPCC in victim support and wants to focus on both the police and the wider criminal justice system.
PCC: what progress has been made on the making victim satisfaction surveys available in key languages? CC: we do need this but the force plan to deliver this is aligned to the procurement of the customer portal and whilst good progress is being made on this its unlikely to be operational until beginning of 2026
ACTION – Exploration into victim satisfaction surveys being made available in key languages |
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Item 4
HMICFRS AFI Report |
PCC thanked Berni Marchant for the report she presented on behalf of the Chief Constable. PCC noted from the report that there is significant work underway but also noted that the report did not follow the format he had previously required.
PCC: Would hope that future reports would identify targets, timescales an milestones for addressing each of the AFIs. He also said that all AFIs will not be addressed at the same pace and over the same time period. He pointed out that the next inspection is a year away but some of the initial field work will be starting in the next few weeks so it was important that progress was not only made but seen to be made.
Berni presented highlights from the report.
PCC: Whilst everything has to be addressed there cannot be a scattergun approach. Where will the focus be, for example improving detective numbers/rates and responding to the public. CC: have identified the areas of focus, have a reasonable level of confidence that everything is going in the right direction and there can be milestones overlaid. All ‘red’ areas have robust plans in place - wants to particularly focus on AFI 4 and 5. More clarity needed on what inspector is looking for within each AFI. Might need more qualitative data.
PCC: aware that Bedfordshire is well regarded with HMICFRS however there is no room for complacency and they will be expecting improvements against each AFI. PCC asked what action PCC can take to support addressing AFIs, particularly in the areas that require system-wide change.
ACTION – Next report to P&G on AFIs to follow report format required by PCC. |
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Item 5
Safer Streets Summer Initiative
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PCC reported he has submitted the delivery plan to the Home Office and was pleased that partners were ready for implementation from 30 June PCC: Progress will be monitored and scrutinised at the monthly P&G meetings prior to the monthly Home Office returns being submitted.
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Item 6
4.1 Risk (Change in risk OPCC and Force)
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The only significant change to risk relates to finance and the potential consequences of the CSR announcement and demand pressures. |
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Item 7
Finance
End of year financial report
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PCC thanked PW for end of year financial report and medium term financial plan. PW presented the report, noting that there was an overspend of £3.1m in 2024/25 due to the number of officers in post compared to the budget, impact of the Pay Award and other factors. PW reported that the CC had paused all staff recruitment with the exception of PCSOs and control room staff. PW presented the medium-term financial plan which identified significant pressures over the next three years. It will be necessary to review the reserves policy but there will need to be additional funding allocated to maintain reserves. Savings are being identified across the BCH collaboration and a revised Capital Programme will be brought to P&G in February. The auditors are likely to ask questions about financial sustainability unless action is planned to address sustainability. PCC has written to the policing minister about the CSR. PCC restated his requirements:
PW and CC will prepare a capital strategy. PCC said it was important to pursue Section 106 and he had his sights set on development of Universal Studios. |
REPORT FOR THE POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER FOR BEDFORDSHIRE - PERFORMANCE & GOVERNANCE BOARD
Date of meeting - 25.06.2025
Agenda item - 3.1
Report title: Delivery against the PCC’s Mission, through the MVAWG agenda
Executive Overview
1.1. This report centres around the Protecting Women and Children mission in the Police and Crime Plan. MVAWG is a force priority and aligns to the PCC’s Vision to enhance public confidence, support victims and protect vulnerable people.
Unveiled plans by the government to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls, investing £13 million in a national centre run by the college of Police and the National Police Chiefs Council is now in place. This centre brings together over 100 officer and staff across England and Wales to tackle VAWG benefiting from a national coordinated function and specialist capability. It has been deemed a significant and growing problem with 1 in 12 women in England and Wales affected and 20% of recorded crime relates to Domestic Abuse.
Bedfordshire continues to ensure that governance structures are in place to ensure that risk and issues surrounding VAWG/MVAWG are tackled in a timely and robust manner with an overarching Vulnerability and Exploitation Board, MVAWG Strategic Board and tactical boards covering MVAWG, Domestic Abuse and Child Sexual Explitation.
The force continues to focus on its investment through Operation Soteria, which is seeing the second phase of the self-assessment process take place ready for return in July 2025. Progress can be demonstrated through a force wide apporach to training through key National Operating Model (NOM) products with dedicated project support to drive this agenda forward.
As an organsation we want to ensure that the public confidence continues to grow in this area. Reporting remains around the mean however we are starting to see increases in certain crime types, where the utilisation of social media platforms and media campaigns are having a positive impact on victims reporting.
2.1 Performance overview – recorded and solved by thematic
All VAWG
|
Month Year |
Crimes |
Solved Crimes |
Solved Rate |
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Apr 24 |
878 |
77 |
8.8% |
|
May 24 |
1,049 |
98 |
9.3% |
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Jun 24 |
1,046 |
105 |
10.0% |
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Jul 24 |
1,059 |
112 |
10.6% |
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Aug 24 |
938 |
93 |
9.9% |
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Sep 24 |
940 |
87 |
9.3% |
|
Oct 24 |
892 |
103 |
11.5% |
|
Nov 24 |
875 |
92 |
10.5% |
|
Dec 24 |
929 |
84 |
9.0% |
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Jan 25 |
917 |
91 |
9.9% |
|
Feb 25 |
887 |
97 |
10.9% |
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Mar 25 |
954 |
95 |
10.0% |
|
Total |
11,364 |
1,134 |
10.0% |
MVAWG
|
Month Year |
Crimes |
Solved Crimes |
Solved Rate |
|
Apr 24 |
530 |
67 |
12.6% |
|
May 24 |
590 |
87 |
14.7% |
|
Jun 24 |
592 |
88 |
14.9% |
|
Jul 24 |
623 |
109 |
17.5% |
|
Aug 24 |
569 |
81 |
14.2% |
|
Sep 24 |
566 |
73 |
12.9% |
|
Oct 24 |
516 |
94 |
18.2% |
|
Nov 24 |
524 |
80 |
15.3% |
|
Dec 24 |
567 |
76 |
13.4% |
|
Jan 25 |
563 |
82 |
14.6% |
|
Feb 25 |
519 |
86 |
16.6% |
|
Mar 25 |
531 |
78 |
14.7% |
|
Total |
6,690 |
1,001 |
15.0% |
Domestic Abuse
DA Recorded Crime
Since January 2022 there have been 8 DA relates homicides within Bedfordshire (although 1 incident resulted in 3 deaths) this means that there were 6 Homicide Events.
Of the 8 victims,3 involved a partner relationship, 1 involved a co-habiting relationship and 1 relates to the victim being the suspects mother-in-law. The final incident related to the offender murdering his mother and 2 siblings.
DA has a dedicated analyst completing daily scanning, actioned by Emerald enabling identification and targeting of high risk promptly. DA Silver identifies the most significant risk individuals utilising the ‘8 Stage Homicide Timeline’ a nationally recognised format. This provides a narrative where we have emerging risks around potential for homicide and the requirement for force wide intervention plans to be implemented.
From the 1st July DA Silver Meeting will link directly to the Homicide Prevention Lead enabling feedback and tasking the DA Silver Group with any Homicide Prevention activity not already specifically covered by the DA Delivery Plan. All recommendations from the DA Problem Profile are tracked through a DA Management Board to assess improvements.
Identification and management of Risk are captured through the following within Beds
- Raneem’s Law (FCR DA Specialist)
- MARAC (Multiagency Risk Assessment Conference) for High-Risk DA Victims
- MDAP (Domestic Abuse Perpetrators)
- BSIP (Bedfordshire Stalking Intervention Partnership)
- High Risk Victim Support – Provided by VEO’s daily.
Prevention and Intervention
- Chrysalis Centre – Perpetrator Interventions targeting diversionary work
- DVPN and DVPO – Monitoring of orders and Interventions
- SPO’s – Stalking Prevention Orders
- Clares Law (DVD’s)
- Emerald in the Community – Linked to the Legitimacy and wider Victim engagement piece.
- DARDR’s - Domestic Abuse Related Death Reviews.
RAPE
Rape Recorded Crime
Other Sexual Offences Crime
Rape and SSO demand and performance across the force (Including CSA / E offending)
- In January 2025, Bedfordshire’s solved crime rate for the previous 12 months for rape was 6.6% putting Bedfordshire at 28th in the national rankings. For SSOs the solved crime rate for the previous 12 months was 7.7% putting Bedfordshire at 32nd in the national rankings.
- As of 1/3/2025 (latest iQuanta data) Bedfordshire’s solved crime rate for the previous 12 months for rape was 7% putting Bedfordshire at 27th in the national rankings. For SSOs the solved crime rate for the previous 13 months was 7.0% putting Bedfordshire at 38th in the national rankings.
Source: iQuanta
Increased demand across Rape and Sexual Offences is having an impact on the force’s outcome rates
- There has been a 21.9% increase in the number of rapes recorded by Bedfordshire Police in the current 12-month period (795 reports 3/6/24-3/6/25) compared to the previous 12-month period (654 reports 3/6/23-3/6/24)
- There has been a 21.1% increase in the number of “other sexual offences recorded by Bedfordshire in the current 12-month period (1,418 reports 3/6/24-3/6/25 compared to 1,174 reports 3/6/23-3/6/24)
The below show the number of Rape and other Sexual Offences recorded by Bedfordshire Police in the last 12 months compared to the previous 12 months (first two columns). They show the total number of rape and other sexual offences, then the total is broken down to show recorded crimes for victims under 16 and then those for victims aged 16 or over.
The tables go onto show the number of positive outcomes for the relevant time period, and the positive outcome rate.
The 3rd and 4th columns show the above data for the last 6 months compared to the previous 6 months.
Honour Based Abuse and Forced Marriage
Between 1st January and December 31st, 2024, there were 21 cases where ‘forced marriage’ recorded as either a main classification or a feature of a primary crime. 6 cases resulted in a Force Marriage Prevention Order (FMPO) being issued by either police or a local authority. There are 21 people have been named as respondents in these orders.
2025 to date, there have been 7 reported cases. 2 have resulted in FMPO’s being issued to 4 respondents.
Forced marriage is often a secondary classification on primary crimes of VAWG such as controlling or coercive behaviour, threats to kill and assaults. It is a wider familial crime and the respondents who are given a FMPO are usually parents and uncles/aunties. The police focus is on prevention of further harm and most criminal cases are filed as no further action once the victim is saved from harm, relocated and protected with the FMPO civil protection order. Local authorities have primacy on obtaining FMPO’s on people under the age of 18, but there are key areas of growing public confidence in this area and increasing intelligence rates to understand the suspect profiles better.
Challenges:
- Under reporting and building trust and confidence in the police.
- Lack of specialist trained officers who understand the complexities of FM.
- Research suggests that victims are most likely to contact police wanting help to escape from their perpetrators and are unsupportive of seeking justice.
Engagement:
Community teams and Victim Engagement Officers are committed to raising awareness of the issue and educating communities to understand what forced marriage is, to spot signs and encourage reporting. Work completed through the Education and Diversion team, enables more awareness for children in school settings.
Female Genital Mutilation
Between 1st January 2024 and 31st December 2024. Bedfordshire Police had no reported cases of FGM, and no orders were applied for in relation to protecting anyone from harm.
2025 to date, there have been 2 reported cases, both relate to victims reporting as adults, stating that they were harmed as children. Safeguarding referrals have been completed with those victims to assess whether there are other people at risk as there are no opportunities to investigate the allegations due to the circumstances but the opportunity to ensure that we capture intelligence provided around the suspect profiles and where offending has taken place.
It is recognised as a hidden crime with few cases reported and investigated. Victim Engagement Officers raise awareness alongside partner agencies and charities offering support to families who have experienced harm but there is more we can do around engaging with hard-to-reach communities and understanding how we can gather more intelligence and engagement opportunities.
3.1 Current approach in Force (national best practice) – what are we doing and what is out there nationally
On the National VAWG Framework for Delivery (2024–2027) and Bedfordshire Police’s MVAWG Gold Delivery Plan 2025, here’s a comparison of how the force aligns with the national strategy, which is built around the 4P model: Prepare, Protect, Pursue, Prevent.
PREPARE
National Expectation:
- Prioritise VAWG as a strategic threat
- Build the right culture, skills, and governance
- Use data and insight to drive response
- Ensure readiness through training, tools, and futureproofing
Bedfordshire Police Approach:
Strong alignment
- MVAWG is embedded in strategic governance (Gold/Silver/FTTCG)
- Operation Soteria and FDMM processes support readiness
- Power BI dashboards and performance frameworks in place
- Officer welfare and CPD strategies developed (e.g., burnout coaching, buddy systems)
- Training Needs Analysis underway across teams
PROTECT
National Expectation:
- Victim-centred approach
- Consistent recording and safeguarding
- Uphold the Victims’ Code
- Intersectional and trauma-informed response
Bedfordshire Police Approach:
Strong alignment
- Survivor Voice embedded in training and CPD
- Scrutiny panels (DA, RASSO, stalking) review victim care and outcomes
- Victims and Witnesses Board monitors compliance with the Victims’ Code
- Commissioned services (e.g., Chrysalis Centre) support victim recovery
- Operation Blue Bell addresses internal misconduct and culture
- Force Victims Board monitors the Victims code and sets standards for communication with victims at each stage of an investigation.
- Voice of the Child- Survivors voice and Listening circles are at the early stages of being set up through a multiagency approach with a view that feedback will be used to change processes.
PURSUE
National Expectation:
- Relentless pursuit of perpetrators
- Use of powers and orders (DVPOs, SPOs, etc.)
- Evidence-led, suspect-focused investigations
- Procedural justice for victims and suspects
Bedfordshire Police Approach:
Strong alignment
- Daily scanning and suspect prioritisation via FDMM
- Use of DVPOs, SPOs, and proactive policing tracked via Power BI
- Dedicated FIOs in RASSO for intelligence-led investigations
- Suspect strategy under development and monitored through performance boards
- JOIM/SOG to ensure progression with cases.
- New Stalking intervention team?
- DI sign off and new robust process for some crime types?
PREVENT
National Expectation:
- Whole-system approach with partners
- Early intervention and education
- Problem-solving and safer spaces
- Support for rehabilitation and offender management
Bedfordshire Police Approach:
Good alignment
- Education and diversion packages delivered in schools
- Operation Octans addresses street-based exploitation
- Engagement with schools and community intelligence plans
- Commissioned perpetrator programmes (e.g., Chrysalis) in place, though some gaps remain (e.g., SV perpetrator programme)
- Multiagency awareness campaigns for Neglect- ‘Stop, Think Neglect.’
- Contribute to local and national learning through CSPRs and SARs within the multiagency setting.
4.1 What is going well
- Strong Governance and Ownership
- Clear assignment of delivery leads and regular updates across all pillars.
- Integration with national frameworks like Operation Soteria and DAJJP.
- Established Silver Group Meetings for MVAWG / DA and Exploitation, Feeding into overarching governance of MAWG Gold and Vulnerability and Exploitation.
- Good internal governance around Sexual Misconduct in the workplace
- PPDA expanding to all VAWG offences through the tri-force carousel.
- MVAWG Comms SPoC and strategy aligned to the national position.
- Data-Driven Decision Making
- Use of Power BI and FDMM to track suspects, orders, and performance.
- Silver meetings use analytical products to ensure emerging trends/themes are identified, owned and progressed
- Live dashboards and analytical support embedded in daily operations.
- Amendments to the Crime Allocation Policy focusing on crime reallocation to more suitable teams / Skills.
- Victim-Centric Practices
- Daily focus on Victim updates
- Victim Champions and Trauma Informed Training Investment.
- Survivor Voices developing across all areas with victim focus.
- Scrutiny panels driving accountability and learning from lived experience.
- Soteria principles being expanded across additional areas to RASSO.
- PSD receiving Operation Soteria Training.
- Proactive Offender Management
- Increased use of DVPOs, SPOs, and other orders.
- FDMM management of orders/interventions
- Development of a suspect strategy and prioritisation matrix.
- Workforce Support and Development
- Welfare strategies and CPD tailored to high-risk teams.
- Introduction of burnout coaching and workload support networks.
- Improved management of PIP2 portfolio progression and monitoring of detective resilience across relevant teams
- Innovation and Technology
-
- AI CCTV redaction pilot and FIO integration showing early success.
- Forward planning for digital evidence and comms strategy.
5.1. What are the gaps?
- Sexual Violence (SV) Perpetrator Programme Gap
- Gap in rehabilitative and preventative interventions for high-risk offenders, with clear evaluation processes in place.
- Inconsistent Use of Orders Across Teams
- While DVPOs and SPOs are increasing, HMICFRS noted inconsistent application across departments.
- Some teams are not fully utilising available protective powers.
- Digital Forensics and Evidence Delays
- Kiosk-based downloads have discontinued, and reliance on DFU may cause delays in progressing cases highlighted as a risk within ISDB.
- AI CCTV redaction pilot is delayed, due to technical and cost barriers.
- Internal Culture and Reporting (Blue Bell)
- Operation Blue Bell is progressing, internal reporting of sexual misconduct still faces some barriers.
- Heatmaps and supervisor training are still in early stages.
- Workforce Capacity and Training
- Training Needs Analysis is ongoing, but gaps remain in specialist skills (e.g., ABE interviewing, trauma-informed practice).
- High workloads and burnout risks persist in PPU teams.
- Lack of experience and detectives is an issue particularly across PPU teams
- Commissioned Victim Services – Limited Scope
- Some victim support services (e.g., therapeutic support, stalking intervention) are still in development.
- There is a need for broader, trauma-informed, and culturally competent services.
6.1. What are the challenges?
|
Barrier |
Impact |
|
Workforce Pressure |
High demand in PPU teams affects case quality and timeliness of progression and case file submissions. High demand within the Online space from the NCA and increase use of UCOLS, increase demand of warrants averaging 4 per week. CPS and court delays also impact on victim engagement and progression. Lack of detectives and officers able to progress due to inexperience means high vacancy rates in some teams. File Building and Timeliness |
|
Data Quality and Recording |
Inconsistent data quality of VAWG-related incidents affects performance tracking and scrutiny. |
|
Cross-Department Coordination |
Lack of knowledge/experience in some teams adds to delays in recognition of risk/vulnerability and progress of cases. |
|
Technology Integration |
Delays in AI tools and digital evidence processing hinder investigative efficiency. |
|
Victim Attrition |
Long investigation timelines, lack of supervisory experience and lack of updates contribute to victim disengagement. |
7.1. Strengths and areas of development across the partnership
In line with the Police and Crime plan a review of Strategic Safeguarding arrangement to improve the effectiveness and reduce the costs where appropriate whilst meeting statutory represents is key. A review of the current working arrangements across Bedfordshire is being undertaken through the MASH Strategic Board with the allocation of a DCS dedicated to look at the sharing of information, thresholds, the use of technology and the potential co-location of resource is being scoped. Different ways of working are needed in order to improve standards between agencies and the MASH’s in the interests of safeguarding children and the most vulnerable.
Pan Beds training across the 3 Local Authorities including Working Together and Neglect training and a new Child Sexual Abuse 2-day course being run originating from the NSPCC. Further to this and being funded through the Luton Pathfinder project are a series of Multi agency training days on back-to-basics Section 47 investigations for practitioners.
8.1. What’s next/future plans
- Improved performance management frameworks introduced across all PPU teams. Significant focus on file backlogs, standards and pushing cases through with improved relationships with CPS, particularly in Rape and SSO cases.
- Wider focus of Indecent exposure, increased governance and oversight to focus on concentrating on solving lower-level non-contact sexual offence crimes. This is with a view of seeking support for diversion and intervention methods to prevent reoffending and escalation of offending.
- Elevation of Training requirements both for the use of orders and interventions across the force for Violent and sexual crimes. Awareness raising is key and forms part of the plans moving forward.
- Sharing of Data across the partnership when it comes to Violence against women and children, CSA and CSE concentration particularly around the publication of the Casey review and the recommendations highlighted which clearly articulate the requirement for key partners to come together and ‘data share’ more effectively.
- Multiagency Child Protection team being created through the Luton Pathfinder Families First project. A Police lead will form part of this new team of senior practitioners across Police, Health, Education and Social care. This will change processes across the PPU Hub and PVP teams and will streamline services while enhancing multiagency collaboration.
- Voice of the child- Survivors Voice programme to be commenced using local services to support. This will be run similar to the DA Survivors Voice.
Listening Circles to be established where the voice of young people can be used to contribute to policy and process changes. There are a number of schools interested to be involved. Analytical data to be used to prioritise areas where this would be most impactful.
- Collaboration with the Hope Collective project and the new VEPP (Violence Exploitation Prevention Partnership) to run a ‘Hope Hack,’ a large conference with young people across Bedfordshire to gain their views and opinions on areas in policing, which will be used to promote change internally.
REPORT FOR THE POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER FOR BEDFORDSHIRE - PERFORMANCE & GOVERNANCE BOARD
Date of meeting: 25.06.2025
Agenda item: 3.2
Report title: Victims
Executive overview
1.1. This report centres around the mission in the Police and Crime Plan to put victims at the heart of the criminal justice system. Progress can be summarised as follows:
Bedfordshire Police is legally and operationally committed to improving the victim journey in alignment with the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 and the OPCC’s mission to place victims at the heart of the criminal justice system. The force must also comply with guidance issued by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and the College of Policing and deliver services in accordance with the Victims’ Code and any other statutory duties imposed upon it. The force must ensure:
- Compliance with the Victims’ Code, delivering trauma-informed, victim-centred services.
- Active listening to victims, including children, through initiatives like Survivors Voice and listening circles, which inform policy and service improvements.
- Internal accountability via the Force Victim Board, which monitors performance and drives continuous improvement.
- Enhanced victim services, including a target to increase referrals to the Bedfordshire Victim Care Service to 25%.
- Collaborative partnerships through the Victim and Witness Engagement Board to address service gaps.
- Focus on hard-to-reach communities, ensuring inclusivity and building trust in reporting.
- Data compliance, including ADR444 reporting and adherence to national policing standards.
- Use of technology, such as AI and citizen portals, to improve access and the overall victim experience.
- Commitment to EDI, aligning with the Race Action Plan to ensure legitimacy and inclusive service delivery.
- Future readiness, remaining agile to launch prevention, intervention, and awareness campaigns as needed.
- Measurable Outcomes, focus on measuring compliance with the Victims’ Code, improving victim outcomes, increasing satisfaction, reducing attrition, and increasing referrals to support services.
1.2.
Force Victim Board
The Force Victim Board (FVB) has been established to provide strategic governance and oversight of the victim agenda across the force. Its primary focus is to ensure compliance with the Victims’ Code, amplify the voice of victims through structured feedback mechanisms, and support a consistent and compassionate victim journey. The board also aims to drive performance improvements and hold departments accountable for any identified service gaps.
Under the revised governance structure, Detective Chief Superintendent Zara Brown is the Victims and Witnesses Strategic lead supported by Detective Superintendent David Skarratts who is the chair of the board and deputy strategic lead for victims.
The FVB comprises representatives from various commands that engage directly with victims and communities, ensuring a broad and inclusive perspective. The board’s delivery plan is closely aligned with the Victim and Witnesses Strategy and the Legitimacy Board’s Race Action Plan, reinforcing its commitment to fairness and transparency.
Since its inception, the FVB has convened three times and remains under continuous review to enhance its effectiveness. Efforts are underway to streamline meetings, increase attendee engagement, and ensure that discussions are focused and outcome driven.
Victims’ Code Performance
- The board monitors performance related to the Victims’ Code, legislated under the Victim & Prisoners Act 2024, and holds departments accountable for improvements. Despite the lack of MOJ guidance on required metrics, a foundation for metric data is being established and will be adjusted once guidance is provided.
- To enhance the accuracy and reliability of victim-related performance data, a phased implementation of process changes is underway. As part of this initiative, investigations from the 2024/25 period will be subject to random dip sampling to verify reported performance data against specific victim rights. This approach aims to ensure that recorded data accurately reflects compliance with the Victims’ Code. Notably, procedural adjustments have already been made in relation to Right 3, which pertains to the provision of written information to victims at the point of crime recording. These changes are designed to ensure that all components of this right are fully met, therefore improving overall compliance and reinforcing the force’s commitment to transparency and victim care.
- The FVB emphasises mandatory Victims’ Code training from the College of Policing, tracked through Force Performance Board. Face-to-face training has been provided to half the investigative departments, with more sessions planned for Community, Crime Bureau, RASSO, and PVP. Updates are included in the FVB delivery plan. Printed assets and strategically placed posters support code compliance and inform victims.
- HMIC identified AFIs for the force, focusing on enhanced rights and improving IVNA quality. The FVB has prioritised these areas, implemented training and provided assets to drive improvements. These are also tracked through additional governance covered in Investigation Standards Delivery Board (ISDB) and a key area of focus for force improvement.
- A communications strategy for the Victim and Witness strategy has been agreed upon, with a relaunch set for April 2025. Each month will focus on different Victims’ Code rights through various channels like articles and Beds talk. Comms will attend the FVB to provide updates and support as needed.
- At the request of the head of Crime and PPU, an ISDB Subgroup has been set erected, chaired by Det Supt Dhaliwal to work on compliance with Victims’ Code and revision of supervisory responsibility within Patrol and CID which supports the Victims’ Code compliance work. Updates of this work will be reviewed within the respective governance boards.
- The force currently benefits from the support of 60 trained Victim Champions, who play a vital role in guiding and assisting their peers in delivering victim-focused services. This network of champions is a key element in embedding a culture of victim care across the organisation. Reflecting a strong and growing commitment to the victim agenda, an additional 20 Victim Champions will be trained, bringing the total cohort to 80.
Each champion receives one Continuing Professional Development (CPD) session annually to ensure they remain informed, skilled, and equipped to support the evolving needs of victims and the wider workforce. Through the devised ‘Victims comms strategy,’ these victim champions will be identifiable to the force through quarterly updates, where people will be aware of their position and responsibility.
Victims Voice
- Initial Attendance and Investigation surveys are now being sent to all victims of crime and have been amended to include the RVR element. Although returns are small, the surveys are reinforcing what is being seen in the POWERBI performance data, namely VPS not being taken, Victims’ Code information not provided and lack of investigative updates. These matters are being tracked through ISDB to enhance the importance and align to the 5-point marking guide which follows the HMIC grading document.
- Victim Support will conduct 100 high harm surveys (DA, Stalking, RASSO) by phone, complying with ADR444. These surveys will go live as of the 02/06/2025.
- Listening Circles have been reintroduced in May 2025 to identify barriers and gather community feedback for policy review and revisions. Sessions have started with Nine Red and a similar circle will begin with South Asian women through Empower in Luton. We are seeking to create similar opportunities around Bedfordshire with other communities. A terms of reference has been set and will inform the Legitimacy Boards, Race Action Plan work.
- Survivors Voice sessions for DA and RASSO will resume in June 2025, allowing officers to learn from victims' experiences, interactions with the police, and identify areas for improvement.
- The Voice of the Child initiative, led by DCI Vicky Macleod, has been added to the Force Victim Board delivery plan. It focuses on listening to children during criminal prosecutions, reinforcing AWARE, and finding ways to gather feedback from victim survivors.
2.1. Performance overview
Victims’ Code
|
Right |
Description / Focus |
Current Performance / Commentary |
|
Right 1 |
To be able to understand and be understood |
Measured via Initial Attendance Survey: 87.5% of 48 respondents agreed they understood the officer. |
|
Right 2 |
To have the crime recorded without unjustified delay |
91.9% of crimes are recorded within 24 hours. |
|
Right 3 |
To be provided with information when reporting a crime |
See commentary under 4.1 |
|
Right 4 |
To be referred to support services |
94.4% of IVNAs (Initial Victim Needs Assessments) completed. Remaining commentary as per 4.1. Referrals have risen to 19%. Aim is to increase over 20% (New Benchmark needed) Enhanced rights risen from 7.9% to 12.3%. |
|
Right 5 |
To be provided with information about compensation |
Under development due to issues updating CICA data. |
|
Right 6 |
To be updated on the progress of the case |
Performance matrix exists but needs refinement for accuracy. |
|
Right 7 |
To make a Victim Personal Statement (VPS) |
Identified as an area for improvement: |
|
Right 8 & 9 |
To be informed of key decisions and updates |
AOJ began using Athena for updates from 01/04/2025. Insufficient data currently for meaningful analysis. |
|
Right 10 |
To have property returned promptly |
Not currently recorded. No access to CPS expenses data; property system cannot differentiate between victim and suspect property. |
|
Right 11 |
To be given information about the offender following conviction |
Not recorded – relates to probation services. |
|
Right 12 |
To make a complaint about your rights not being met |
Right 6 is the most complained about: |
GOVMETRIC Initial Attendance & Investigation Surveys
Highlights as per 4.1. If further information is required, please advise.
The high harm survey is due to go live on the 02/06/2025, data for this survey will not be available until July 2025.
3.1 Current approach in Force (national best practice) – what are we doing and what is out there nationally.
- Data & Metrics Readiness
- While the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) has not yet specified required metrics, the force is well-prepared.
- A flexible Power BI dashboard is already in place and can be quickly adapted to meet any future requirements.
- Legislative Compliance
- The Victims & Prisoners Act 2024, specifically:
- Section 1 (definition of a victim)
- Section 5 (services in accordance with the Victims’ Code)
- These have been enacted, and no immediate changes are required for compliance.
- Strategic Alignment
- The force is aligning with the NPCC Criminal Justice Strategy, with ongoing work to ensure strategic consistency across victim services.
- Scrutiny & Oversight
- A Victims’ Code compliance scrutiny panel is active in Devon and Cornwall (PCC-led).
- There is consideration to replicate this within the force, potentially integrating it into existing panels such as MVAWG, rather than establishing a standalone panel.
- Voice of the Victim
- Embedding the voice of the victim is central to improving engagement and outcomes.
- Current initiatives include:
- Victim surveys
- Survivor voice sessions
- Listening circles
- Insights from these are fed into the Force Victim Board to inform performance and enhance the victim journey.
- Child’s Voice
- Anticipating the revised Victims’ Code later this year, which will emphasize the child’s voice.
- The force is proactively developing a Child’s Voice Framework, with several projects already underway to ensure this is effectively captured and integrated.
- ADR444 Compliance
- The force is already compliant with ADR444, actively surveying victims of domestic abuse to gather insights and improve service delivery.
- MOJ National Victim Survey (2026)
- The MOJ is planning to launch a national victim survey in 2026, aimed at capturing the entire victim journey.
- Survey results will be measured against performance data provided by forces via OPCC offices.
- Development is in preliminary stages, including:
- Finalising the question set
- Determining data collection methods from forces
- The force is monitoring developments and is well-positioned to respond, thanks to its adaptable data systems and existing victim engagement infrastructure.
- Our current surveys are based on previous national survey question data sets. These will be provided to the MOJ where required.
4.1 What is going well
Recent data indicates a positive upward trend in compliance and delivery of key Victims’ Code entitlements, reflecting the impact of recent process improvements and focused efforts across teams.
Key Highlights:
- Right 3 – Timely Updates:
A significant improvement has been observed, with performance increasing from 2.5% to 16.3%, largely driven by the proactive efforts of the Crime Bureau and the implementation of the new process. Continued improvement is expected as the new system embeds. - Right 4 – Needs Assessment and Support:
- Initial Victim Needs Assessments (IVNAs) are showing improved quality.
- Referrals to BVCS (victim support services) have risen to 19%, indicating better identification and support for victims.
- Enhanced Rights delivery has improved from 7.9% to 12.3%, a notable increase compared to previous months.
- Ongoing Work:
Efforts to improve victim contact and the consistent offering of Victim Personal Statements (VPS) are ongoing. These improvements are also reflected in recent victim satisfaction surveys, which show increased feelings of being listened to and respected.
Victim Satisfaction and Confidence – Monthly Survey Insights
Recent victim survey results indicate a positive trend in public confidence and satisfaction with police services. Notably, there has been a significant increase in the number of respondents this month, providing a more robust data set for analysis.
Key highlights include:
- Increased Trust and Confidence: 25% of victims reported feeling trust and confidence in the police this month, up from 15.15% in the previous month.
- Improved Victim Experience: Respondents reported feeling more reassured, listened to, and treated with respect during their interactions with the police.
- Greater Willingness to Report Crime: There is a marked improvement in victims’ confidence in reporting crimes, reflecting positively on the force’s engagement and communication efforts.
These findings suggest that recent initiatives aimed at improving victim care and investigative quality are having a measurable impact.
Power BI is now functioning effectively, providing clear and accurate tracking of performance although additional improvements need to be made to make it more concise.
Recent refinements to the performance matrix and process changes have significantly enhanced data accuracy. This improvement is enabling more informed decision-making at Force Victim Boards, where underperformance can now be identified more precisely. Departments are better supported in understanding barriers and implementing targeted actions to drive continuous improvement.
5.1 What are the gaps & 6.1 What are the barriers
Despite continued progress in improving victim services, several systemic and operational barriers remain that impact the force’s ability to deliver a fully inclusive and effective victim care model:
- Victim Personal Statements (VPS):
VPS uptake and accurate recording remain a recurring concern. Officers often fail to offer or explain the VPS process and is not consistently documented. These issues have been highlighted by Bedfordshire Police scrutiny panels and are reflected in survey data, dip sampling, and Power BI dashboards. This will be a key focus area in the next quarter, with oversight from the Force Victim Board (FVB) feeding into Investigation Standards Delivery Board (ISDB) - Child Survivor Engagement:
The decision by ‘Living Your Life’ to decline participation in the child survivor engagement group has limited the force’s ability to gather feedback from young victims. This gap is being addressed through potential partnerships with ECP and Embrace, who have shown interest in supporting this initiative. - Data Accuracy and Accountability:
Inaccuracies in Athena data entry and updating practices hinder the ability to assess performance and identify areas for improvement. This also limits accountability across departments. Process changes are being introduced to improve data quality and enable more effective oversight through the CMSDQ Board. - Right 6 – Victim Updates and Engagement:
The most frequent complaints relate to poor victim updates under Right 6. Victims often report having to chase officers for information, with some cases closed prematurely due to lack of engagement. Officers tend to rely on digital communication (email/text) but often do not follow up when there is no response. Scrutiny panels have emphasised the need for more proactive and non-digital engagement methods. - Initial Victim Needs Assessment (IVNA) Quality:
The quality of IVNAs continues to vary, affecting the volume and appropriateness of referrals to Bedfordshire Victim Care Services (BVCS). While improvements are evident through dip sampling, sustained monitoring is required and will continue to be tracked through FVB. - Language and Accessibility Barriers:
A significant barrier exists in engaging non-English speaking victims. While some translated information can be provided through GoodSAM under Right 3, the force is currently unable to send out surveys or provide translated documentation and training due to limited resources and the excessive cost of translation services. This restricts the ability to gather representative feedback and provide equitable access to victim services.
The Ministry of Justice has acknowledged this issue nationally. We are currently exploring the use of AI to support the translation of surveys, aiming to streamline the process and improve efficiency in reviewing translated responses. Initial discussions have taken place with the SSID, and a change request has been submitted and approved to progress this work.
As part of the change request, a review of existing ICT infrastructure within the force is underway to assess whether current systems can support this initiative. This includes evaluating the potential for additional licensing or development of existing products to meet translation needs. In parallel, benchmarking is being conducted through HMIC with other forces to identify existing solutions that may be adaptable for our use. This will help ensure we adopt a solution that is both effective and aligned with sector best practices.
7.1 Strengths and weaknesses of partnership engagement
Victim & Witnesses Engagement Board
The Victim & Witnesses Board is the opportunity for the force to work in collaboration with our partners to improve the experience for the victim on their journey. The information from the Force Victim Board will be disseminated to partners at this meeting. Partners will also be able to inform the force on the work they are undertaking with opportunities for further collaborative working where available. Additional stakeholders are being added to the board to ensure there is a good balance of organisations being represented. The TOR for the board has been amended to align with the Force Victim Board to enable both boards to compliment the work being undertaken both internally and within multi-agency partnerships. CPS and Probation have also joined the VWEB which reinforces the value of the board.
New partnerships are being built with new commissioned services and closer partner working are being developed. This enables additional work to be undertaken with partners beyond service agreements such as survivors voice with Victim Support.
Weaknesses
- Changes in commissioned services have caused some disruption and delay to support service provision. This is being addressed with the OPCC’s office.
8.1 What’s next/future plans
- Update the Victim Care Policy to align it with changes made to processes. Include a section on the Force Victim Board and its governance remit.
- Standardise processes on Athena and disseminate across the force – to ensure consistency and improve data accuracy.
- Improve IVNA and ensure correct needs are identified and appropriate support provided.
- Enhance victim contact and communication throughout the investigation process to ensure victims are regularly updated. This is crucial for holding officers accountable in maintaining consistent engagement with victims, ensuring they feel informed and involved, and supporting their continued participation in the investigation.
- Continue to invest in good working relationships with our partners to ensure the victims journey transitions smoothly between stakeholders.
- Continuing compliance with the Victims Code
- Monitor complaints – Provide robust support to victims and reduce complaints.
- Introduction of a Victims Portal - victims can access key information in relation to the criminal justice process and enable a two-way interaction between them and their OIC. This will in turn reduce demand on the control room and foster a better relationship between the victim and their OIC.
- Victims focus within Community Policing strategy– The government gave a pledge to increase community policing to provide greater visibility and assurance to neighbourhoods which they serve. Community officers have greater knowledge around the areas they serve. By adopting and playing an active role in the victim strategy within their governance, they will bridge the gap between policing and those hard-to-reach victims, encouraging them to come forward and report crime. This in turn will increase trust and confidence between the community and policing.
- Access to support services – We are lucky to have our own victim support service in BVCS. BVCS can review the needs of the victim and refer victims to the specialist services they need. However, it is underutilised with referrals reducing month on month. Discussions with officers have identified they are unaware of BVCS and their work. Officers need to be educated and encouraged to complete referrals to enable support to be provided to victims which is vital to their welfare.
- Trauma Informed Training – Training officers to understand the psychological impact of crimes such as domestic or sexual abuse on victims will improve the response to more vulnerable victims. It will enable officers to recognise the effects of trauma and adjust their response accordingly giving a more personable service. The funding for this has been agreed, trainer identified and dates for training confirmed. RMU are in the process of booking officers onto the training.
29.05.2025 Performance and Governance Minutes
Item 1: Welcome Minutes of meeting held and for agreement and matters arising
PCC welcomed everyone to the meeting and introduced Yehudis, Head of Policy and Missions Apologies noted from Chief Constable and Assistant Chief Constable. Minutes from the previous meeting were agreed.
Item 2: Actions
Update – PCC will be writing to DEFRA and Department for Transport alongside PCCs for Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire to lobby for funding for kennelling of dangerous dogs and post-collision support on A14. Further updates on action log to come to spotlight meeting in June.
Item 3: Local Policing
Excellence in Policing Deputy Chief Constable Dan Vajzovic presented spotlight report on Reinvigorating Local Policing. He highlighted police performance in certain areas, including community policing, public contact, Patrol, approach to innovation, operational planning and the summer policing plan to keep town centres safe.
A 12-month local policing plan has been implemented for 2025-2026, and there will be a longer-term one developed for 2026-2031. This will look at estates, growth and the biggest challenges that local policing will face. Crime recording is currently in a strong position with accurate data and there is an action plan in place for ASB recording. 999 call handling also remains strong with a slightly different resource model in place from April. On some days the control room is performing less well but it is generally above 90%. It was recognised that Bedfordshire Police’s approach to innovation is very good, but not as effective as it should be in Patrol attendance, so DCC has set a task to understand the driving forces for what needs to be improved when responding to the public. The Patrol function have made some improvement in arrival times and continue to aim for all arrivals within 15 minutes. The detection rate for Patrol officers is improving on some teams more than others. Training and upskilling are now the focus as well as triaging caseloads.
The PCC has been working with the police on the development of the summer policing plan for town centres and ensuring the metrics will allow for a measure of effectiveness. Work is ongoing to understand officer abstraction data and ensure it is consistent. The police are investing in drones and live facial recognition to carry out effective public order operations.
PCC asked what the drop-off rate for 101 call is, considering that 40% of 999 calls that come through do not require an immediate response.
DCC is looking into the journey of a caller and trying to understand reasons for repeat calling. The average waiting time across all police services is 30 seconds, and Bedfordshire it is 2 minutes.
PCC fed back that public often report clunkiness of online reporting, and asked how much exploration is being done into innovation and to educate the public on making the right call.
PW responded that they are running communications campaigns and looking into what is used elsewhere such as voice bots which are used in the West Midlands.
PCC asked when he should expect to see a noticeable improvement in the Patrol function, namely in terms of investigations, problem solving and victim-centred culture. DCC assured that investigation improvements will be seen this calendar year, but that the problem-solving approach is difficult to measure. The self-assessment that Bedfordshire Police will carry out for the next HMICFRS inspection will reveal more.
PCC asked how exactly live facial recognition will be used in the summer, wanting to make sure the public will have a full understanding.
PCC will have a role in speaking about ethical approach and remit of LFR in helping the police to keep people safe and identify prolific offenders. Police will share the details of the facial recognition policy.
Action: Goal for 101 call response to be reported at the next full performance meeting Action: report on Patrol investigations, problem solving, abstractions (to and from the Patrol function) and culture/victim approach to be brought to next Local Policing spotlight meeting Action: Police will share the details of the facial recognition ethical and communications policy, which the PCC would expect to sign off.
Action: There will be regular updates to P&G on the progress of the Summer Policing Partnership Plan for Keeping Town Centres Safe.
Deputy Chief Constable Dan Vajzovic presented spotlight report on Excellence in Policing. He highlighted police performance in certain areas, including Stop and Search, Use of Force, Improving Policing for Black People, Professional Standards, and management of the workforce.
DCC highlighted: There are fewer stop and searches being conducted but they are having a more positive impact, which shows an increase in effectiveness. A strategy is now in place for improving internal communication around scrutiny panels. The data around the use of taser is under review There has been a rise in cases around public contact in recent years but in the last 6-9 months it has halved.
DCC is reassured that this is as a result of improved conduct and culture Bedfordshire Police are currently above full establishment PCC asked what learning and guidance is available for officers, including supervisory officers around Stop and Search and Use of Force. DCC is satisfied that there is good operational learning at all levels of the organisation and an internal culture of self-referral.
PCC said that it was important that systematic lessons are learned and applied.
PCC wishes to see a move towards a more diverse workforce that is representative of the community it serves.
PCC asked how many Black leaders are in the service and how this is going to be improved. The goal is to improve trust and confidence and therefore engagement and recruitment. PW confirmed there are 3 Black sergeants.
Item 4: Risk (Change in risk OPCC and Force)
No risks to report.
Item 5: Quarterly Reporting
Efficiency Budget / Efficiency
PW reported that he will be producing a year-end financial report for the next meeting of P&G.
PCC would like to see a 2026/2027 budget plan that demonstrates what the return on AI investments would be and maps out how to return to financial stability within 2 years. Next year’s budget may be tight, but PW will be reviewing what the objectives and parameters are with the PCC and will be bringing the medium-term financial plan forward. PCC wishes to be involved in 2025/26 priority-based budgeting process.
Action: PW to year-end budget report and an update on the medium-term financial plan at the next meeting.
Action: PW, PCC, CC to meet to discuss financial planning, control and PBB.
Item 6: AOB
No AOB
REPORT FOR THE POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER FOR BEDFORDSHIRE - PERFORMANCE & GOVERNANCE BOARD
Thursday 29th May 2025
Report title: Police and Crime Plan – Excellence Spotlight Report
Executive overview
- This report centres around the Excellence mission in the Police and Crime Plan and presents an assessment of the Force’s effectiveness in delivering against the Plan.
- This report assesses the different elements within this theme to demonstrate how effectively the Force is delivering the Excellence priority.
Stop and Search – Performance Overview
During financial year 2024/2025, a total of 4417 searches were completed. This is a reduction of 9% from the previous year.
Positive outcomes during this period were recorded at 38% which is an increase of 3% from the previous year. The National average is 31%. The arrest rate was 18%, which is an increase from the previous year. The National average is 14%.
Find rate during searches is 31%, and a total of 1078 drugs and 153 weapons have been seized. The National average find rate is 23%.
Proportionality rates during last year, are as follows:
- Black self-defined ethnicity (SDE) – 3.5 times more likely to be searched than White SDE (480 searches). Previous financial year was 3.1 times more likely (516 searches). The National average is 5.52 times more likely.
- Black officer defined ethnicity (ODE) – 3.1 times more likely to be searched than White (746 searches). Previous financial year was 2.9 times more likely (817 searches).
- Asian self-defined ethnicity (SDE) – 1.6 times more likely to be searched than White SDE (645 searches). Previous financial year was 1.3 times more likely (631 searches) The National average is 1.63 times more likely.
- Asian officer defined ethnicity (ODE) – 1.7 times more likely to be searched than White (843 searches). Previous financial year was 1.5 times more likely (860 searches).
Use of Force - Performance Overview
During financial year 2024/2025, a total of 7106 Use of Force records were created. This is a 5% reduction from the previous year.
BWV compliance was recorded at 94%, which was in increase from 93% the previous year. The main reason for BWV not being captured is when the Use of Force occurs in Custody.
Proportionality rates during last year, are as follows:
- Black self-defined ethnicity (SDE) – 3.02 times more likely to have force used than White SDE (794 records). Previous financial year was 2.86 times more likely (829 records). The National average is 3.2 times more likely.
- Black officer defined ethnicity (ODE) – 3.95 times more likely to have force used than White (1305 records). Previous financial year was 3.66 times more likely (1312 records).
- Asian self-defined ethnicity (SDE) – 1.1 times more likely to have force used than White SDE (800 records). Previous financial year was 1.03 times more likely (755 records) The National average is 0.8 times more likely.
- Asian officer defined ethnicity (ODE) – 1.23 times more likely to have force used than White (1094 records). Previous financial year was 1.12 times more likely (1019 records).
The single biggest area of disparity is Use of Taser, which has a disproportionality rate of 5.97 for Black ODE, compared to 4.92 for the previous year. Disproportionality rate for Black SDE is 5.24, compared to 4.24 for the previous year.
76% of all Use of Force is used on male subjects. This is a reduction from 78% the previous year. The National average is 79%.
46% of all Use of Force records related to those aged between 18 – 34 years. This is a reduction from the previous year of 48%. The National average is 48%.
Current Approach in Force – Stop & Search and Use of Force
The Force was highlighted for promising practice by HMICFRS in terms of safeguarding approach to juveniles. All searches reviewed by PVP team to assess immediate safeguarding steps taken, and whether onward referral was made to MASH. Where missed opportunities were identified, feedback has been issued to officers to capture organisational learning.
A new information card has been produced which will be issued to members of the public who are subject to a Stop and Search. This provides all information in terms of their rights whilst also providing an opportunity to provide individual feedback. The card also provides details of the community stop and search panel and how to join.
Annual CPD has been arranged for all frontline officers in relation to Stop and Search, identifying national and local themes as areas of focus.
BWV pre-record functionality enabled capturing preceding 30 seconds of footage from point officer activates BWV to improve transparency and accountability.
Data analysis and data sharing with community panels highlighted as promising practice by college of policing. Power Bi platform is intuitive and detail enables trends in the short, medium, and long term to be understood.
What is going well? – Stop & Search and Use of Force
Positive outcome rates year on year are improving in relation to Stop and Search, including arrest rates which demonstrate the force is effective in its use of this power.
Establishment of tactical leads for all Use of Force powers, with monthly tactical meetings. Strategic Police Powers Board launched with Stop and Search, Use of Force, and S163 stops all feeding into this.
Supervisor dip sampling process embedded for Use of Force and Stop and Search, demonstrating enhanced scrutiny and oversight of Police powers.
All Sergeants receiving additional training input relating to best practice for supervision of Police powers.
Amendment to EIP search authority to Inspector for juveniles, with all EIP searches now audio recorded, and best use guidance document produced to ensure officers are using effectively, and with compassion and empathy.
What are the gaps and barriers? – Stop & Search and Use of Force
Gap - Effective communication to the wider public of Bedfordshire to amplify the excellent work of the community scrutiny panels to increase public trust and confidence in the use of Police powers in Bedfordshire.
Gap - Clear communication to the public via force website of Use of force statistics in a format that is easily understood and accessible to the wider communities of Bedfordshire.
Gap - Analysis of factors contributing to proportionality rates across Bedfordshire to support strategic objective of improving understanding of proportionality and seeking to eliminate disproportionality that cannot be explained.
Barrier - Allocation of analytical support (this has been requested and is being progressed).
Barrier - Improvement to the Stop and Search review portal. The system requires improvement including an automated escalation process and improved management reports. The ICT change request has been submitted.
Strengths and weaknesses of partnership engagement – Stop & Search and Use of Force
Community scrutiny panels for Stop and search, Use of Force, and S163 Road Traffic Act stops have been established and are considered a strength for the force in terms of oversight, scrutiny, and accountability through the community. A data panel for each has been established which ensures the community are assessing data and asking questions of the force specific to trends and patterns.
We recognise the need to improve communication to the wider public in relation to Police powers, the internal and community scrutiny and accountability measures in place.
Partnership approach to subject matter expert reviews for higher levels of Use of Force including Baton strike, Spit hood, and PAVA with Cambs, Herts, and Essex being launched where PST trainers from other forces will review and assess Use of Force from another force.
What’s next / Future Plans – Stop & Search and Use of Force
An academic study is being completed in relation to disproportionality, this is being completed by two leading academic figures who have previously completed similar studies for the CPS. The report is expected in June 2025.
An internal monthly analytical product has been commissioned which will support tactical meetings in terms of understanding proportionality rates, whilst seeking to reduce and eliminate disproportionality that cannot be explained.
There needs to be an amendment to the Force website in terms of the presentation of Use of Force data to replicate the presentation style of Police.uk (Stop and Search data presentation) to ensure communities have visual data that shows use, and patterns of use in Bedfordshire.
Force pilot seeking to utilise artificial intelligence in support of supervisory reviews of Stop and Search, to further enhance quality.
Scrutiny of police powers to be placed on quality assurance app to provide a central point for the storage of all dip samples, and reviews including the launch of new Section 32 PACE dip sampling. QA app has improved management reporting tools which will increase analysis and understanding.
Improving Policing for Black People in Bedfordshire
Improving Policing for Black People in Bedfordshire – Overview
To address issues of data disparity and disproportionality, the Legitimacy and Public Safety portfolio is prioritising the following areas of activity:
- PRAP Maturity Matrix: Baseline activity undertaken at both national and local level
- Recruitment of under represented groups: Review undertaken and recommendations submitted to Recruitment Gold chair
- Promotion process review: Review undertaken and recommendations submitted
- Staff Network Development: Framework has been launched, peer group for Chairs has been established. Staff Network Forum meetings have been set up.
- National Culture and Inclusion Strategy and Local Policing Strategy Alignment: Performance management and evaluation framework discussions currently underway, in support of a new Police Culture and Inclusion Strategy and Beds Local Policing Strategy.
Interim findings from baseline of PRAP National and Local Maturity Matrix identified several opportunities: streamlining deliverables, enhancing focus of qualitative and quantitative measures, clarifying ownership and accountability, and embedding critical enquiry and benchmarking into qualitative assessments.
Workforce Representation - Improving Policing for Black People in Bedfordshire
Positive Action: Operation Hendrickson shows strong outcomes in re-engaging candidates and supporting vetting processes.
Community Engagement: There has been mixed feedback on the need for qualitative indicators, and National guidance may be required.
Exit Interviews: Current qualitative indicators may be too narrow; broader exploration of retention drivers is recommended.
Ethnicity Pay Gay, Data Challenges: Privacy constraints limit analysis; recommendation to consolidate related standards for a holistic view.
Black Workforce Survey Action Plans, Low Visibility: Minimal engagement with OBWS findings; national promotion and accountability mechanisms needed.
Culture, Impact, Data and Accountability – Improving Policing for Black People in Bedfordshire
Equality Impact Assessments (EIAs) agreed via BCH consultation are now implemented. EHRC’s 10-Step Guide has been recommended for integration and has been circulated.
System Gaps and Culture Barriers have been identified with Data Quality. There are continued National and local issues with data entry, system and policy limitations and inter-agency sharing. Concerns have been identified about rapport with internal and external communities, and timing when collecting sensitive data.
There is a need for broader data analysis across protected characteristics.
What’s Next & Future Plans – Improving Policing for Black People in Bedfordshire
Focus groups are being conducted throughout the organisation to evaluate the force’s implementation of the Police Race Action Plan on a procedural basis.
Further focus groups will be planned with individuals across the organisation to assess how the Police Race Action Plan is being delivered on a personal basis.
Bluebell/PSD
Blue Bell Overview
Historically, ‘Bedfordshire also has the highest proportion of workplace sexual misconduct across the tri-force. This needs to change and Blue Bell exists to support colleagues who have been impacted by this’.
Bedfordshire continue with clear governance internally, with the Blue Bell Board sitting Bi-Monthly chaired by a Strategic lead.
A more recent cultural review has shown more sexual wrongdoing is recognised as a critical issue within the force with a strong commitment to addressing it. Blue Bell is well known and provides clear points of contact for reporting and support, cultural shifts. Misogyny has been recognised as an issue.
The report identifies areas of improvement which will form part of the 25/26 delivery plan including enhancing clear definitions and guidance, training and awareness re-roll out, consistency in PSD assessments, awareness of enhanced support systems, and public transparency.
A clear Terms of Reference has been devised between Blue Bell and PSD with a clear understanding of reporting mechanisms and information sharing contained.
All Blue Bell Supporters are Peer Support trained and aware of the pathway and when to notify PSD when conduct/criminal behaviour is a concern.
There is a strong relationship between Blue Bell and PSD ACU- ensuring checks and balances are completed in relation to information and intelligence regarding issues and/or people which on first review doesn’t breach the conduct space. The pathway from Blue Bell into PSD is utilised more than the reverse which illustrates that Blue Bell is building confidence and enabling reporting and often is the primary reporting method.
The PPDA Policy applies to all police officers and police staff of Bedfordshire Police, Cambridgeshire Constabulary and Hertfordshire Constabulary. All cases are reviewed through the PSD DMM and where required (specifically for Beds) they are referred into Blue Bell for support.
PSD Performance
There has been an increase in reporting in the last 2 years, however, more recently there has been a decline. Surveys by PSD show that of the most recent report, 90% of people who responded said that they would now report sexual harassment in the workplace and 88% would report Domestic Abuse if they experienced it or witnessed it.
612 intelligence reports were recorded by PSD in 2024/25, averaging 51 records per month. The fourth quarter saw the highest number of submissions in the year. In the same period, there were 88 intelligence reports recorded relating to PSD Control Strategy priorities, averaging 7 records per month.
106 potential conducts were recorded in 2024/25. These volumes have remained consistent throughout the year with an average of 9 recorded per month.
The average time to finalise PSD Complaint Investigations throughout the year was 418 days. In the 4th quarter of 2024/25 this number fell to 353 days. This is below the annual average of 415 days. The time to finalise Conduct investigations throughout the performance year averaged 19 days. However, there was an increase from 175 days in the third quarter to 264 days in the fourth, rising above the annual average of 246 days.
Workforce
Workforce Reporting
The service monitors its people data through Peoples and Postings Board and reported into the Force Executive Board. Whilst the analysis at the People and Postings Board is considered at Team level the focus at Force Executive Board is delivery against the Maintenance Grant requirement and the new Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee. In conjunction with both of these there is a specific focus on the reduction in attrition, management of sickness absence and a workforce that represents the Communities it serves.
At this stage the Service is on track to deliver against its Maintenance and NHPG targets, attrition is tracking and the same reduced level as 2024/25 and work is being undertaken through the attraction and engagement teams alongside the Legitimacy and Public Services portfolio to place extra focus on increasing the diversity of the workforce.
Local Policing Spotlight
REPORT FOR THE POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER FOR BEDFORDSHIRE - PERFORMANCE & GOVERNANCE BOARD
Report title: Local Policing Spotlight
1 Executive overview
1.1 This report centres around the Local Policing mission in the Police and Crime Plan and provides a focus on strategy and performance, performance and demand management within the Force Control Room, Patrol performance and Community Policing.
1.2 The report will provide information about the draft Local Policing Strategic Delivery Plan 25/26 and will present the key performance priorities that will drive our focus and improvements throughout the delivery period. It will then provide a summary of performance headlines for each department and present the draft Responding to the Public Improvement Plan which details how we intend to improve our emergency response attendance times over the course of this performance year. The report will conclude with information regarding how Bedfordshire Police intends to deliver the requirements set out in the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, including the more immediate focus of delivery against the Summer Policing Partnership Plan.
2 Strategy and Performance
2.1 Bedfordshire Police has produced a draft Local Policing Strategic Delivery Plan 2025/26 in order to drive progress against the PCCs Local Policing Missions and in accordance with the Force Annual Delivery Plan and Control Strategy. This is a 12-month plan because we require a specific focus on implementation of the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee and the Summer Policing Plan as well as specific focusing on driving improvement in our attendance times. This work will assist our preparation for the longer-term Local Policing Strategy 2026-2031.
The draft strategy is included within the appendix and the executive summary is as follows.
Bedfordshire Police Local Policing Strategic Delivery Plan 2025/26
Vision and Strategic Context
Bedfordshire Police is committed to providing a high-quality policing service that ensures safety for all communities, combats crime effectively, and becomes an employer of choice. This annual Local Policing Strategic Delivery Plan aligns with the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Plan 2024–2028 and reflects budgetary reforms and staff uplift initiatives, including the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee.
Underpinned by the cultural framework “Be You”—which emphasizes professionalism, pride, inclusion, compassion, and courage—this plan provides a detailed 12-month roadmap for delivering policing services while laying the foundation for a longer-term strategy (2026–2031). Leadership accountability is central, with each Superintendent responsible for tactical plans tracked through defined performance measures and SMART objectives.
Delivery Model and Workforce
Local Policing is structured around four functional areas:
- Public Contact
- Patrol Policing
- Neighbourhood Policing
- Operational Planning
Led by a Chief Superintendent, this model emphasizes cross-county operational leadership rather than geographic boundaries.
To support the growing demands and complexities of policing, Bedfordshire Police will ensure workforce resilience through continuous resource monitoring, succession planning, and investment in leadership development. Key workforce priorities include:
- Enhancing CPD and leadership training.
- Proactive management of physical and mental wellbeing, reducing absences and abstractions.
- Continued focus on ethical conduct through the College of Policing Code of Ethics and regular 1:1s.
Core Business Areas
- Public Contact
This includes the Force Contact Room (FCR), Crime Bureau, and Customer Services. Key goals:
- Answer 90% of 999 calls within 10 seconds.
- Improve 101 call handling and reduce call abandonment rates.
- Driving ‘Right Care, Right Person’ principles to manage non-policing demand.
- Enhance digital communication platforms (e.g., webchat).
- Ensure crime is accurately recorded and victims are appropriately supported.
- Patrol Policing
Providing 24/7 frontline service, response teams will:
- Improve emergency attendance times through “Responding to the Public Gold” initiative.
- Strengthen investigative standards and victim care using CPD and case management systems.
- Conduct a fleet review to enhance mobility and deploy AI-supported in-car technology.
- Focus on demand reduction by tackling repeat offenders.
- Neighbourhood Policing (NHP)
With officers embedded across each local authority, NHP will:
- Deliver the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee through visible patrols and named officers for every area.
- Prioritise specialist training aligned with College of Policing guidelines.
- Tackle ASB via local action plans, new enforcement powers (e.g., Respect Orders), and town centre safety operations.
- Integrate with Community Safety Partnerships to drive local performance, supported by a Neighbourhood Policing Improvement Board.
- Disrupt Serious and Organised Crime (SOC) at a local level.
- Operational Planning
Responsible for force-wide planning for major incidents, events, and emergencies, the Operational Planning Unit (OPU) will:
- Implement new technologies such as Live Facial Recognition, drones, and Taser T10s.
- Expand property storage solutions for evidence management.
- Strengthen Public Order and Safety command capabilities.
- Support proactive policing at Luton Airport and increase disruption of organised crime through cash seizure operations.
- Integrate the Special Constabulary into NHP, ensuring aligned training and operational standards.
Governance and Performance
A robust governance structure underpins all strategic objectives. The Local Policing Performance Board (chaired by the Chief Superintendent) monitors monthly progress. Coordination with Force Performance Board and Tactical Tasking ensures accountability and continuous improvement.
Data-led insights and a system-wide performance framework will be used to track objectives across all departments, ensuring alignment with the Annual Delivery Plan.
Conclusion
The 2025/26 Local Policing strategic Delivery Plan is a comprehensive, forward-facing strategy designed to deliver effective, inclusive, and resilient policing across Bedfordshire. It builds on existing strengths while introducing innovation, workforce development, and accountability mechanisms to address current and emerging policing challenges.
- Force Control Room and Demand Reduction
Performance overview
The Force Control Room is responsible for answering public calls for service via 999 and 101 channels. The room remains well staffed with an ongoing recruitment and training programme in place which provides healthy succession planning. Our performance focus in the FCR is on our ability to answer 999 and 101 calls effectively, while providing a quality response to the public.
This department has been transformed during 2023/24 through a programme of change that focused on process change, demand reduction and improved staffing models. At the outset of this journey, the Force was consistently missing our 999 call answering targets. We are now in a position of strength with a clear focus 999 targets and delivering a quality response to the public.
Overall demand is stable with demand peaking in summer months in line with national trends. Average 999 calls per day is currently stable and our performance remains consistently strong as we continue to exceed the national target of answering 90% of 999 calls within 10 seconds. Our current service level is 93.6%.
Overall 101 (total) demand also remains stable, as does our average wait time of 4 minutes 39 seconds.
101 priority calls are stable and comparable to the same period last year. Calls answered performance remains stable as does the average wait time, which remains under 2 minutes.
Demand Reduction Focus
We continue to experience a high rate of users calling 999 that do not result in a police response. In April, over 41% of all 999 calls did not require a police response. Whilst this does not impact on Patrol resources, it does create inappropriate demand for call handlers, creating inefficiencies within the system. This is not unique to Bedfordshire Police and requires a focus on educating the public regarding use of emergency services, combined with technical innovation to divert callers to appropriate services.
With staff numbers having significantly increased in the Crime Bureau over recent months, a greater number of live calls are being taken by them as the public call to report crimes. Due to the reduction in vacancies with the Crime Bureau we are now able to ensure that 50% of all CB staff on duty are now taking live calls from the 101 system, considerably reducing demand within the FCR and preventing duplication by removing the requirement for skeleton crime reports to be taken by FCR staff.
An addition to the IVR system has been launched which provides an option, when a caller dials 101, to be redirected if requesting an update on a crime report (failure demand). This call is now routed directly to the Crime Bureau where a designated operator takes the calls. We will be including in this process an auditing mechanism to capture the departments where the failure demand is originating from. This initiative within the Crime Bureau is currently resulting in approximately 10% of 101 demand being removed from the FCR.
Our Chatbot is well embedded within FCR and manages approximately 45 contacts per day. However, data suggests that people are more likely to use webchat when they have to wait longer to speak to a member of staff. As our call handling performance is effective, we do not have a significant uptake of webchat. This may reinforce the National Contact Management Strategy assumption that telephony will remain the preferred contact method for the public, reverting to tech only when they are unable to get through to us on the phone lines.
Between January and November 2024, Bedfordshire Police worked with partners across health and social care systems to introduce Right Care Right Person; a national initiative which sees ownership for mental and physical health emergencies move away from police response to those health professionals that are best qualified to respond. This project focused on a phased approach to change, commencing with concern for welfare calls and people reported as missing from health facilities, and then conveyancing of patients and finally detentions under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act.
Project data analysed between 01/03/24 and 28/02/2025 evidenced that the number of concerns for welfare calls recorded by Bedfordshire Police has reduced by 9636 which is a 50% reduction compared to the previous year. We attended on average, 51% of concern for welfare calls compared to 80% attendance the previous year. These changes have reduced officer demand by over 45,500 hours and have saved over 1400 hours of call time in our Force Control Room.
- Patrol Performance
Performance overview
The Patrol model in Bedfordshire Police is a 24/7 model which operates from 2 mains hubs at Beds HQ and Luton Police Station. Teams 1 – 4 operate on a 4 on / 4 off shift pattern and this provides full coverage. The core responsibilities of Patrol are to respond to policing incidents and to investigate non-specialist crime and crime that does not require detective investigations. The department currently has 305 officers, (including student officers) an increase of 38 officers since December 2024, of which 192 are response trained drivers, an increase of 29 compared to December 2024.
Patrol holds 1916 (40%) out of 5654 force total assigned crimes currently (May 2025) which is 6.5 crimes per officer. The lowest volume of total assigned crime over the past 12 months was 1494 in November and the highest was 2372 in August. Compliance with Victims Code of Practice is well managed and consistently high, sitting at 96% in May.
In April, Patrol were the first attending officers in 71% of immediate incidents (decrease from 74% in December) followed by Community Policing at 9%, Student Hub 7% (an increase of 2% compared to December) and Joint Protective Services uniform 5.6% (an increase of 1.6% compared to December). This evidences that immediate incidents are being attended by a wider range of departments, reducing the demand on Patrol.
We remain focused on improving our attendance times to immediate response incidents across Bedfordshire. The performance trajectory is moving in a positive direction, although the pace of progress is frustrating. During 2023/24, our year-to-date attendance at immediate incidents was 45% within our 15 minutes target from receipt of call. November to April has seen incremental improvements and for the month of May, we are attending 50% of immediate incidents within 15 minutes and 66% within 20 minutes. Our peak performance in April was attending 69% of immediate graded incidents within 15 minutes and we are arriving 1 minute and 29 seconds quicker compared to the previous monthly average.
Data continues to show differences in performance for attendance at immediate incidents within 15 minutes across times of the day and days of the week. Attendance times are quicker during the night but slower around 06:00/07:00 and 17:00/18:00. Friday is the lowest performing day of the week. The lowest performing periods do not correlate directly with the highest periods of demand but are impacted by unpredictable but frequent abstractions (managing scene guards, hospital watches and cell watches).
Through the Responding to the Public Gold Group, led by the Deputy Chief Constable Detailed analysis of our immediate response demand is being conducted and will be complete in June. This in-depth analysis will enable a deeper understanding of the incident demand that we are grading as immediate response as well as better insight as to how best align our resources to meet the fluctuating demand across the county.
The Patrol Hub was introduced in Spring 2024 with the purpose of responding to Patrol demand utilising remote video response in cases where physical attendance is not a necessity. Since implementation, the team have continued to take demand away from front line immediate responders, whilst delivering a quality service to victims of crime. In the month of April, the Patrol Hub dealt with:
- 74 Rapid Video Response Domestic Abuse Incidents (increase by 8 incidents on last month)
- 83 Video Response Incidents completed (increase by 6 incidents on last month)
- 233 remote video appointments completed
- 93 investigations finalised
Due to the success of the Patrol Hub, we have moved to an Enhanced Video Response model, which allows more crime types to be responded to by remote video response, providing it is safe and appropriate to do so.
Responding to the Public Improvement Plan
A new plan has been drafted within Responding to the Public Gold which sets out the core objectives and workstreams to deliver improvements to attendance times. This paper is included within the appendix with an executive summary presented below.
The improvement plan identifies and addresses six primary constraints currently impacting operational effectiveness and response capabilities. These challenges span workforce readiness, resource allocation, and technological enablement, and collectively hinder the ability to deliver timely and effective front-line services.
Key Constraints and solutions
Workforce Inexperience and Instability
Patrol is the primary feeder for most other departments and as such, experiences high turnover and limited experience among personnel. This reduces operational consistency and increases training demands, affecting service quality and team cohesion. Our plan prioritises the retention of patrol officers through effective management of our internal postings process. Patrol is now a priority area of business and officers will be released to other roles only when we have sufficient resilience in number to enable this.
Limited Number of Response-Trained Drivers
A shortage of qualified drivers restricts rapid deployment capabilities, placing additional pressure on a small pool of trained individuals and increasing response times. This position is as a result of the high volume of student officers that have moved into Patrol over the past 24 months. Officers are required to meet a level of independence and experience before they can become response drivers and this has limited our ability to train officers quicker. Our plan ensures that we have access to regular response driving courses and that we retain officers with this skill. It also seeks to utilise other response trained drivers from other departments when surge demand occurs.
High Abstractions and Competing Demands on Patrol
Patrol units face excessive tasking, including crime caseloads and scene guarding, which dilutes their availability for urgent response and proactive policing. Our plan consists of problem-solving to minimise abstracting officers from patrol incidents. This includes expansion of our Rapid Video Response, implementation of innovative technology such as CamGuard to reduce time spent at scene guards and applying Right Care Right Person principles to divert inappropriate demand to the right service.
Inefficient Deployment Processes and Estate-Based Challenges
Current deployment models and physical estate layouts contribute to delays and suboptimal coverage, limiting the ability to respond dynamically to incidents. Our demand analysis will provide us with accurate data and insight that will allow us to develop the most effective deployment model and consider where we need to base our patrol officers and how we need to align our resources to maximise our response to the public.
Improved Technology and Innovation in Front-Line Teams
Outdated tools and limited access to real-time data hinder decision-making and reduce the effectiveness of front-line personnel. Our plan focuses on the development of mobile technology, including in-car AI to maximise the efficiency and quality of our response to the public.
The Responding to the Public Improvement Plan will have a clear set of performance indicators which will demonstrate progress. This will be scrutinised at the Gold Group and also through Force Performance Board on a monthly basis.
- Neighbourhood Policing
Bedfordshire Police have previously referred to this department as ‘Community Policing’. However, in line with the terminology surrounding the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee and the renewed performance focus, we intend to rename our team as Neighbourhood Policing (NHP). This will not result in changes to our geographic boundaries or changes to our resources dedicated to what was Community Policing, but simply sees a name change for alignment with the national programme of work.
We have a mature NHP model with resources dedicated to local areas across our three Local Authorities, each of which is led by a Chief Inspector. This provides good local accountability and enables effective partnership working. Our model also has a dedicated Detective Chief Inspector embedded and this provides specialist tactical support, coordination and training to equip our NHP teams to tackle Serious and Organised Crime, exploitation and violence at a local level.
NHP consists of dedicated police officers, police community support officers, police staff and volunteers. The NHP Hubs (located across the county) are further supported by specialist NHP teams including Rural Crime Action, Community Cohesion, Community Enforcement, Mental Health Hub, Education and Diversion, Priority ASB and Design Out Crime Officers.
This year saw the Home Office launch of the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee and our strategic focus throughout 2025/26 will focus on delivering against this. The NHPG remains fully aligned with the College of Policing “Community Policing Guidelines” which are well embedded and will remain as the core framework of Bedfordshire Police NHP. We have a performance management framework and supporting data which assist us to drive progress according to the guidelines:
- Fostering the right culture
- Engaging communities
- Building analytical capability
- Solving problems
- Targeting activity
- Developing officers and staff
- Developing and sharing learning
The draft Local Policing Strategic Delivery Plan sets out our core priorities within NHP for 2025/26 and these are based on the performance priorities set out in the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee.
In line with the NHP uplift, we will increase the dedicated policing resource into NHP ensuring we have a NHP team in every local area, carrying out intelligence-led and visible patrols, including in town centres. We will maximise the officer patrol time by minimising abstractions from their areas so they remain focussed on serving communities. We will measure the increase in officer numbers and will also monitoring NHP officer abstractions.
We will ensure there is a named, contactable officer for every neighbourhood, responsive to local problems. Residents and local businesses will be able to have a say on the police’s priorities for their area. This will be delivered through our Priority Setting process and through effective promotion and communications with our communities enabling them to easily access this information and have their say.
Our NHP Officers already receive specialist NP training and crime prevention training. We will build on this throughout 2025/26 by enrolling all of our officers onto the College of Policing NHP training. This will ensure that our NHP officers continue to develop as specialists who are well equipped to serve the public through effective crime prevention, problem solving thereby making our streets safer.
Neighbourhood policing teams will work in close partnership with Community Safety Partnerships to tackle persistent ASB. We will apply a preventative, problem-solving focus that tackles root-causes of ASB. We will make use of the range of ASB powers to enforce against prolific and persistent offenders, including use of new Respect Orders as soon as they become available. This work will be driven by a dedicated lead ASB officer responsible for inworking with communities to develop a local anti-social behaviour action plan, which are specific to each area. We will measure our performance by analysing data for recorded ASB. This will support us to deliver safer streets.
We will introduce a renewed focus on tackling ASB and crime in our town centres with specific targeting of shop theft, assaults against retail workers, handling of stolen goods and violence and committed against women and girls. This will see increased visible police resource, supported by CSP partners and businesses, to prevent and deter crime in town centres. We will maximise opportunities to introduce innovation into our crime prevention plans (including Live Facial Recognition) to achieve system-wide, sustainable prevention.
We will apply a specific focus on tackling and disrupting SOC at a local level, targeting criminals who are at the heart of crime and ASB within communities. We will utilise our specialist resources within NHP to focus on persistent problems, repeat locations, repeat victims and repeat offenders in order to break the cycle and prevent ongoing crime.
We will manage and drive the above performance through the 3 CSPs and also through the Neighbourhood Policing Improvement Board which will be led by the Police Superintendent for NHP. A NHP performance management framework is already in place and will be used to consistently analyse and improve performance, to maximise the achievement of the above priorities. The PMF will be used to focus on all aspects of the NHP Guidelines including quality problem solving and crime prevention.
As part of this year’s plan, we will focus on contributing to the Summer Policing Partnership Plan (SPPP) 2025. This is a collaborative initiative developed in response to Home Office requirements under the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee. It aims to reduce retail crime and antisocial behaviour (ASB) in town centres during the high-demand summer period, from June 30 to the end of September. The plan is structured around a partnership model involving Bedfordshire Police, Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs), and other local stakeholders. A strategic commander and tactical commanders have been appointed to oversee and implement the plan, ensuring a consistent and locally tailored approach across Bedford, Biggleswade, Leighton Buzzard, Dunstable, Luton, and Bury Park.
The plan outlines six strategic objectives, including the use of data-driven hotspot analysis, development of targeted tactical plans, and maximising enforcement through existing ASB powers. It also emphasises innovation, such as the use of Live Facial Recognition and geolocation tools, and the importance of a robust multi-agency communications strategy to build public trust. The plan encourages community engagement, diversionary activities for youth, and outreach support for substance misuse, all tailored to local problem profiles. Monthly progress reports will track key metrics like patrol hours, fines, and arrests, alongside qualitative insights and examples of effective practice.
Governance of the SPP is provided through the CSP Boards, with operational command structured across strategic (Gold), tactical (Silver), and operational (Bronze) levels. This ensures clear accountability and coordination across agencies. The plan includes a performance management framework to support evaluation and learning, with a structured debrief scheduled post-September to assess impact and inform future strategies. The overarching goal is to create safer, more confident communities through visible, collaborative, and intelligence-led policing.
REPORT FOR THE POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER FOR BEDFORDSHIRE - PERFORMANCE & GOVERNANCE BOARD
Date of meeting: Thursday 29th May 2025
Agenda item
Report title: Police and Crime Plan – Excellence Spotlight Report
- Executive overview
- This report centres around the Excellence mission in the Police and Crime Plan and presents an assessment of the Force’s effectiveness in delivering against the Plan.
- This report assesses the different elements within this theme to demonstrate how effectively the Force is delivering the Excellence priority.
Stop and Search & Use of Force
- Stop and Search – Performance Overview
2.1 During financial year 2024/2025, a total of 4417 searches were completed. This is a reduction of 9% from the previous year.
2.2 Positive outcomes during this period were recorded at 38% which is an increase of 3% from the previous year. The National average is 31%. The arrest rate was 18%, which is an increase from the previous year. The National average is 14%.
2.3 Find rate during searches is 31%, and a total of 1078 drugs and 153 weapons have been seized. The National average find rate is 23%.
2.4 Proportionality rates during last year, are as follows:
- Black self-defined ethnicity (SDE) – 3.5 times more likely to be searched than White SDE (480 searches). Previous financial year was 3.1 times more likely (516 searches). The National average is 5.52 times more likely.
- Black officer defined ethnicity (ODE) – 3.1 times more likely to be searched than White (746 searches). Previous financial year was 2.9 times more likely (817 searches).
- Asian self-defined ethnicity (SDE) – 1.6 times more likely to be searched than White SDE (645 searches). Previous financial year was 1.3 times more likely (631 searches) The National average is 1.63 times more likely.
- Asian officer defined ethnicity (ODE) – 1.7 times more likely to be searched than White (843 searches). Previous financial year was 1.5 times more likely (860 searches).
- Use of Force – Performance Overview
3.1. During financial year 2024/2025, a total of 7106 Use of Force records were created. This is a 5% reduction from the previous year.
3.2. BWV compliance was recorded at 94%, which was in increase from 93% the previous year. The main reason for BWV not being captured is when the Use of Force occurs in Custody.
3.3. Proportionality rates during last year, are as follows:
- Black self-defined ethnicity (SDE) – 3.02 times more likely to have force used than White SDE (794 records). Previous financial year was 2.86 times more likely (829 records). The National average is 3.2 times more likely.
- Black officer defined ethnicity (ODE) – 3.95 times more likely to have force used than White (1305 records). Previous financial year was 3.66 times more likely (1312 records).
- Asian self-defined ethnicity (SDE) – 1.1 times more likely to have force used than White SDE (800 records). Previous financial year was 1.03 times more likely (755 records) The National average is 0.8 times more likely.
- Asian officer defined ethnicity (ODE) – 1.23 times more likely to have force used than White (1094 records). Previous financial year was 1.12 times more likely (1019 records).
3.4. The single biggest area of disparity is Use of Taser, which has a disproportionality rate of 5.97 for Black ODE, compared to 4.92 for the previous year. Disproportionality rate for Black SDE is 5.24, compared to 4.24 for the previous year.
3.5. 76% of all Use of Force is used on male subjects. This is a reduction from 78% the previous year. The National average is 79%.
3.6. 46% of all Use of Force records related to those aged between 18 – 34 years. This is a reduction from the previous year of 48%. The National average is 48%.
- Current Approach in Force – Stop & Search and Use of Force
- The Force was highlighted for promising practice by HMICFRS in terms of safeguarding approach to juveniles. All searches reviewed by PVP team to assess immediate safeguarding steps taken, and whether onward referral was made to MASH. Where missed opportunities were identified, feedback has been issued to officers to capture organisational learning.
- A new information card has been produced which will be issued to members of the public who are subject to a Stop and Search. This provides all information in terms of their rights whilst also providing an opportunity to provide individual feedback. The card also provides details of the community stop and search panel and how to join.
- Annual CPD has been arranged for all frontline officers in relation to Stop and Search, identifying national and local themes as areas of focus.
- BWV pre-record functionality enabled capturing preceding 30 seconds of footage from point officer activates BWV to improve transparency and accountability.
- Data analysis and data sharing with community panels highlighted as promising practice by college of policing. Power Bi platform is intuitive and detail enables trends in the short, medium, and long term to be understood.
- What is going well? – Stop & Search and Use of Force
- Positive outcome rates year on year are improving in relation to Stop and Search, including arrest rates which demonstrate the force is effective in its use of this power.
- Establishment of tactical leads for all Use of Force powers, with monthly tactical meetings. Strategic Police Powers Board launched with Stop and Search, Use of Force, and S163 stops all feeding into this.
- Supervisor dip sampling process embedded for Use of Force and Stop and Search, demonstrating enhanced scrutiny and oversight of Police powers.
- All Sergeants receiving additional training input relating to best practice for supervision of Police powers.
- Amendment to EIP search authority to Inspector for juveniles, with all EIP searches now audio recorded, and best use guidance document produced to ensure officers are using effectively, and with compassion and empathy.
- What are the gaps and barriers? – Stop & Search and Use of Force
- Gap - Effective communication to the wider public of Bedfordshire to amplify the excellent work of the community scrutiny panels to increase public trust and confidence in the use of Police powers in Bedfordshire.
- Gap - Clear communication to the public via force website of Use of force statistics in a format that is easily understood and accessible to the wider communities of Bedfordshire.
- Gap - Analysis of factors contributing to proportionality rates across Bedfordshire to support strategic objective of improving understanding of proportionality and seeking to eliminate disproportionality that cannot be explained.
- Barrier - Allocation of analytical support (this has been requested and is being progressed).
- Barrier - Improvement to the Stop and Search review portal. The system requires improvement including an automated escalation process and improved management reports. The ICT change request has been submitted.
- Strengths and weaknesses of partnership engagement – Stop & Search and Use of Force
- Community scrutiny panels for Stop and search, Use of Force, and S163 Road Traffic Act stops have been established and are considered a strength for the force in terms of oversight, scrutiny, and accountability through the community. A data panel for each has been established which ensures the community are assessing data and asking questions of the force specific to trends and patterns.
- We recognise the need to improve communication to the wider public in relation to Police powers, the internal and community scrutiny and accountability measures in place.
- Partnership approach to subject matter expert reviews for higher levels of Use of Force including Baton strike, Spit hood, and PAVA with Cambs, Herts, and Essex being launched where PST trainers from other forces will review and assess Use of Force from another force.
- What’s next / Future Plans – Stop & Search and Use of Force
- An academic study is being completed in relation to disproportionality, this is being completed by two leading academic figures who have previously completed similar studies for the CPS. The report is expected in June 2025.
- An internal monthly analytical product has been commissioned which will support tactical meetings in terms of understanding proportionality rates, whilst seeking to reduce and eliminate disproportionality that cannot be explained.
- There needs to be an amendment to the Force website in terms of the presentation of Use of Force data to replicate the presentation style of Police.uk (Stop and Search data presentation) to ensure communities have visual data that shows use, and patterns of use in Bedfordshire.
- Force pilot seeking to utilise artificial intelligence in support of supervisory reviews of Stop and Search, to further enhance quality.
- Scrutiny of police powers to be placed on quality assurance app to provide a central point for the storage of all dip samples, and reviews including the launch of new Section 32 PACE dip sampling. QA app has improved management reporting tools which will increase analysis and understanding.
Improving Policing for Black People in Bedfordshire
- Improving Policing for Black People in Bedfordshire – Overview
9.1. To address issues of data disparity and disproportionality, the Legitimacy and Public Safety portfolio is prioritising the following areas of activity:
- PRAP Maturity Matrix: Baselining activity undertaken at both national and local level
- Recruitment of underrepresented groups: Review undertaken and recommendations submitted to Recruitment Gold chair
- Promotion process review: Review undertaken and recommendations submitted
- Staff Network Development: Framework has been launched, peer group for Chairs has been established. Staff Network Forum meetings have been set up.
- National Culture and Inclusion Strategy and Local Policing Strategy Alignment: Performance management and evaluation framework discussions currently underway, in support of a new Police Culture and Inclusion Strategy and Beds Local Policing Strategy.
9.2. Interim findings from baselining of PRAP National and Local Maturity Matrix identified several opportunities: streamlining deliverables, enhancing focus of qualitative and quantitative measures, clarifying ownership and accountability, and embedding critical enquiry and benchmarking into qualitive assessments.
- Workforce Representation - Improving Policing for Black People in Bedfordshire
10.1. Positive Action: Operation Hendrickson shows strong outcomes in re-engaging candidates and supporting vetting processes.
10.2. Community Engagement: There has been mixed feedback on the need for qualitive indicators, and National guidance may be required.
10.3. Exit Interviews: Current qualitative indicators may be too narrow; broader exploration of retention drivers is recommended.
10.4. Ethnicity Pay Gay, Data Challenges: Privacy constraints limit analysis; recommendation to consolidate related standards for a holistic view.
10.5. Black Workforce Survey Action Plans, Low Visibility: Minimal engagement with OBWS findings; national promotion and accountability mechanisms needed.
- Culture, Impact, Data and Accountability – Improving Policing for Black People in Bedfordshire
11.1. Equality Impact Assessments (EIAs) agreed via BCH consultation are now implemented. EHRC’s 10-Step Guide has been recommended for integration and has been circulated.
11.2. System Gaps and Culture Barriers have been identified with Data Quality. There are continued National and local issues with data entry, system and policy limitations and inter-agency sharing. Concerns have been identified about rapport with internal and external communities, and timing when collecting sensitive data.
11.3. There is a need for broader data analysis across protected characteristics.
- What’s Next & Future Plans – Improving Policing for Black People in Bedfordshire
12.1. Focus groups are being conducted throughout the organisation to evaluate the force’s implementation of the Police Race Action Plan on a procedural basis.
12.2. Further focus groups will be planned with individuals across the organisation to assess how the Police Race Action Plan is being delivered on a personal basis.
Bluebell/PSD
- Blue Bell Overview
13.1. Historically, ‘Bedfordshire also has the highest proportion of workplace sexual misconduct across the tri-force. This needs to change and Blue Bell exists to support colleagues who have been impacted by this’.
13.2. Bedfordshire continue with clear governance internally, with the Blue Bell Board sitting Bi-Monthly chaired by a Strategic lead.
13.3. A more recent cultural review has shown more sexual wrongdoing is recognised as a critical issue within the force with a strong commitment to addressing it. Blue Bell is well known and provides clear points of contact for reporting and support, cultural shifts. Misogyny has been recognised as an issue.
13.4. The report identifies areas of improvement which will form part of the 25/26 delivery plan including enhancing clear definitions and guidance, training and awareness re-roll out, consistency in PSD assessments, awareness of enhanced support systems, and public transparency.
13.5. A clear Terms of Reference has been devised between Blue Bell and PSD with a clear understanding of reporting mechanisms and information sharing contained.
13.6. All Blue Bell Supporters are Peer Support trained and aware of the pathway and when to notify PSD when conduct/criminal behaviour is a concern.
13.7. There is a strong relationship between Blue Bell and PSD ACU- ensuring checks and balances are completed in relation to information and intelligence regarding issues and/or people which on first review doesn’t breach the conduct space. The pathway from Blue Bell into PSD is utilised more than the reverse which illustrates that Blue Bell is building confidence and enabling reporting and often is the primary reporting method.
13.8. The PPDA Policy applies to all police officers and police staff of Bedfordshire Police, Cambridgeshire Constabulary and Hertfordshire Constabulary. All cases are reviewed through the PSD DMM and where required (specifically for Beds) they are referred into Blue Bell for support.
- PSD Performance
14.1. There has been an increase in reporting in the last 2 years, however, more recently there has been a decline. Surveys by PSD show that of the most recent report, 90% of people who responded said that they would now report sexual harassment in the workplace and 88% would report Domestic Abuse if they experienced it or witnessed it.
14.2. 612 intelligence reports were recorded by PSD in 2024/25, averaging 51 records per month. The fourth quarter saw the highest number of submissions in the year. In the same period, there were 88 intelligence reports recorded relating to PSD Control Strategy priorities, averaging 7 records per month.
14.3. 106 potential conducts were recorded in 2024/25. These volumes have remained consistent throughout the year with an average of 9 recorded per month.
14.4. The average time to finalise PSD Complaint Investigations throughout the year was 418 days. In the 4th quarter of 2024/25 this number fell to 353 days. This is below the annual average of 415 days. The time to finalise Conduct investigations throughout the performance year averaged 19 days. However, there was an increase from 175 days in the third quarter to 264 days in the fourth, rising above the annual average of 246 days.
Workforce
16 Workforce Reporting
The service monitors its people data through Peoples and Postings Board and reported into the Force Executive Board. Whilst the analysis at the People and Postings Board is considered at Team level the focus at Force Executive Board is delivery against the Maintenance Grant requirement and the new Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee. In conjunction with both of these there is a specific focus on the reduction in attrition, management of sickness absence and a workforce that represents the Communities it serves.
At this stage the Service is on track to deliver against its Maintenance and NHPG targets, attrition is tracking and the same reduced level as 2024/25 and work is being undertaken through the attraction and engagement teams alongside the Legitimacy and Public Services portfolio to place extra focus on increasing the diversity of the workforce.
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Item 1:
Welcome Minutes of meeting held and for agreement and matters arising
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PCC welcomed colleagues to the meeting and thanked Adam Ball and John Hutchinson for attending this meeting of the Performance and Governance Board. Apologies were noted from ACC Karena Thomas. Minutes of the previous meeting were agreed |
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Item 2 Actions |
Actions 6 and 7 from the log were closed and no further actions to note at this stage. |
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Item 3 Performance
Crime Performance
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JM presented report on crime performance and highlighted key statistics relating to recorded crimes, solved crime rates and other figures. · The volume of 999 calls has dropped in last quarter by 8% with consistent answering within 10 seconds. 50% of 999 calls are attended within 15 minutes. · 52,337 crimes were recorded last year which is 4.8% more demand than previous year, the solved rate for all crimes for the year was 12.1% · There was a 45% increase in shoplifting offences which shows a positive outcome of requests for more reporting. 84.5% more shoplifting offences have been solved · There has also been an increase in reporting of rape and serious sexual offences · There was a reduction in recorded residential burglaries with no spike in winter months seen in previous years
JM noted that the police service senior leaders are currently finalising a strategy for neighbourhood policing in response to government requirements including the summer safter town centre strategy, and in accordance with the Police and Crime Plan There will also soon be a deployment of live facial recognition vans. JM noted that the police service is making efforts to address the high caseload held by the Patrol function. In addition, investigation teams are now more skilled and able to deal with higher caseloads so will be able to relieve the pressure. PCC said that he was convening meetings with the three local authorities to encourage their involvement in the development of the summer town centre strategies and plans. He had would be raising this at each CSP executive this month. PCC asked how demand in town centres will be managed? He is required to lead this process and the development of the Plan for submission to the Home Office by 6 June. PCC asked when he can expect to see an improvement in Patrol function performance? And said that he wished to see progress and a plan with targets
PCC asked how he can help to improve reporting of retail crime? PCC raised that at Criminal Justice Board it was raised that Outcome 16 (victim not supporting the prosecution) may be being used incorrectly to log when a victim is not engaging with police. He also raised concern over the fact that the Victim Satisfaction Surveys are only available to be completed in English language. Action: JM to review use of Outcome 16. Action: JM to request translation of Victim Satisfaction Survey into other languages. PCC asked what the future of robbery investigation may look like? PCC asked how improvements are being made to target outstanding suspects? PCC noted the impressive statistic that Bedfordshire is performing highest in the region for serious organised crime disruptions. PCC asked about the number of detectives and especially PIP 2 qualified detectives. CC reported that there has been an increase in the numbers with more being trained but there is still a short fall of 3.
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Item 4
4.1 Risk (Change in risk OPCC and Force)
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PW reported a predicted overspend for OPCC and Beds Police for 24/25 to£1.5m. More work is being done on this and PW will bring update to May Board meeting PCC asked for clarification on potential impact of pay awards above the budgeted 2.8% PW said that these additional costs would have to be absorbed in the current budgets. |
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Item 5 Collaboration updates
Joint Protective Services (JPS)
Eastern Region Serious Organised Crime (ERSOU)
JCOB Pack |
JH presented report on JPS, highlighting performance and key issues. · Armed Policing Unit continues to provide good support to Bedfordshire Patrol and other teams. · The Major Crime Unit has seen a reduction in homicides, with 8 recorded last year. · PCC agreed that support for staff around Operation Longacre was exemplary. · There are some frustrations around A roads across BCH not being classed as motorways by Highways Agency meaning no support for post-collision traffic control. · Scientific services have seen some reduction in budgets but have continued to provide a good level of service. · JPS is currently pushing for recruitment into units from local police services. The kennelling of dangerous dogs continues to induce excessive costs that DEFRA are unable to cover. Several Chief Constables have raised this with government. PCC asked about the level of resourcing for the JPS units and expressed concern that many are short of the required number of officers. He asked for this to be addressed and monitored. He also asked that an update on the future of Monkswood training facility in Cambridgeshire be brought to the next BCH Strategic Summit meeting
Action: PCC will meet with other BCH PCCs to discuss this further and look at how they may be able to raise A road issue at national level and with National Highways. He would also raise costs of kennelling dangerous dogs with DEFRA
AB presented report on ERSOU, highlighting performance and key issues. · Strong performance by Regional Economic Crime Unit, Dark Web and DICE teams, POCU. · 26 live investigations in Bedfordshire · ERSOU have been responding to firearms threat in Luton · Teams have healthy relationship with BOSON - good use of referrals · Looking for opportunities to be more responsive and add value to local requirements · Claimed back £410,000 for victim compensation in Bedfordshire in the last quarter - in economic crime · Artificial Intelligence now being used more substantially · New counter-terrorism guidance from Centre on fixated violence - not just ideology · Currently bolstering capability in Prevent team and caseload is higher than normal
PCC asked what current risks are being managed by ERSOU? PCC acknowledges that national teams would not be able to replicate the work of regional unit. DV presented update on Joint Chief Officer Board’s report on support services. · Change project initiated to review function of HR, Administration of Justice Unit and Joint Strategy and Transformation teams. · There have been an additional 12 officers rotated into the Firearms Licensing team and a change project has been initiated to review how to improve automation with the application of the Bedfordshire Nectar AI system. Currently 6000 cases awaiting processing. Much remains to be done. Improved communication plans are being put in place. · PSD demand has increased but can be effectively managed
PCC stressed that he expects quick improvements to be made in Firearms Licensing service |
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Item 6 HMICFRS
AFI Progress Update |
CC gave a verbal update on the development of the Bedfordshire Police improvement plan which will address the HMICFRS PEEL report and in particular the key areas for improvement (AFIs) A task group chaired by the DCC is developing this plan and the OPCC CEO is a member of that task group and work has begun on implementation of elements of the plan. PCC repeated his requirement to see a detailed plan and progress against it which he will be scrutinising at the board on a regular basis. It was agreed that the first report, based on the PCC’s template would be presented at the June meeting. Action: HMICFRS report to be brought back to June 2025 meeting and future Board meetings |
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Item 8 |
No AOB |
Present:
John Tizard, Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC)
Trevor Rodenhurst, Chief Constable – Police Service (CC)
In Attendance:
Phil Wells, Chief Finance Officer – Police Service/OPCC (PW)
John Murphy, Assistant Chief Constable (JM)
Sharn Basra, Chief Executive – OPCC (SB)
Lara Lewis, Staff Officer – PCC (LL)
Fiona Dawson, Staff Officer – CC (FD)
Katie Beaumont, Head of Governance and Transparency (KB)
Item 1: Welcome Minutes of meeting held and for agreement and matters arising
PCC welcomed everyone to meeting.
Apologies from Deputy Chief Constable.
Minutes from previous meeting were agreed.
Item 2 : Actions
Actions from previous meeting were agreed as completed or will be brought forward to April meeting.
Item 3 : Performance
3.1 Prevention
M presented spotlight report on prevention and problem solving, highlighting areas of strength as well as where improvements need to be made.
Training and Development:
Bedfordshire Police has implemented comprehensive training programmes at all levels
New SharePoint toolkit for staff in Prevention and Problem-Solving, with ongoing maintenance and upgrades.
The rollout of THRIVE+ (Threat Harm and Risk, Investigation, Vulnerability and Engagement) is ongoing, embedding prevention and intervention prompts across various departments.
Problem-Solving and Prevention Initiatives:
There have been a number of collaborative operations
Aligning efforts with national best practices, engaging partners in key forums, and developing initiatives like the Philomena Protocol and Herbert Protocol for vulnerable individuals.
Community Engagement and Education:
The Education and Diversion Team has engaged with over 43,000 children and young people, delivering educational inputs and supporting partner events.
Innovative projects like the use of Virtual Reality Headsets for knife crime education and the development of a bespoke Bedfordshire Knife crime package are underway.
Integrated Offender Management and Innovation:
Integrated Offender Management team is working with Youth Offending Services, Probation, and other partners to manage offenders and address the causes of offending.
Bedfordshire Police is pioneering the use of Artificial Intelligence to assist with problem-solving approaches, aiming to save officer time and reduce harm.
Performance Management:
There is a need for more robust oversight and performance management of problem-solving plans at all supervisory levels to promote consistency and effectively measure performance.
Sustainability and Long-Term Approaches:
Ensuring sustained approaches to long-term persistent problems is crucial. Taking learning from other areas.
Cultural and Structural Barriers:
There is some resistance to engaging in problem-solving and prevention work, with a tendency to favour response-focused approaches.
This indicates a need for cultural change to support innovative problem-solving.
Partnership Engagement:
While there are strong partnerships and collaboration, some silo working persists, requiring better mapping and coordination to ensure joined up working and efficiencies.
The PCC thanked JM for the report and asked questions about prevention and problem solving.
PCC – What would ‘good’ look like in prevention?
CC – Have been working with HMICFRS and the College of Policing for guidance on this and know that having a dedicated Superintendent to lead on the area is a big step forward. A whole system approach is vital to success, with dedication from several agencies in order to address the causes of crime sustainably.
PCC responded by agreeing that a whole system approach is vital, however he is keen to understand what it is aimed to have achieved within 12-36 months.
PCC – More investment is needed, how would the police measure return on investment and expect to see results?
CC – Police are seeking to address the causes of crime which takes time and many repeat offenders have some complex needs which need to be addressed including housing, addition etc.
PCC - How can partners be persuaded to join PCC and police on this journey? It is important that they also see benefits from investment.
CC – A lot of work is going on in respect of safeguarding, and multi-agency working is getting better all the time. Improved data sharing is an important way to be able to show the impact of effective collaboration, and a single Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub would be helpful.
PCC said that the new Strategic Direction is committed to greater data sharing with the ambition of creating a single MASH.
PCC – expect prevention and problem solving to be core to the forthcoming local policing strategy – is this the case?
CC - Community policing is the number one factor in improving public trust and confidence. Prevention and problem solving must be a shared responsibility of all policing teams. This is the shift the police service are looking to make in response to a comprehensive approach to prevention.
PCC - Is the Education and Diversion team making efforts to engage with young people not in education?
CC – The team have been tasked to improve work in this area. Focusing diversionary efforts where it will make the most difference will be our approach.
Action: PCC said he would expect a further report.
PCC – How can successful programmes be replicated in other areas of the county? For example, the joint project with Luton Borough Council, Luton BID and the police to reduce crime and improve safety in Luton town centre?
CC – It would be possible to replicate, but this would require partners to commit in the same as Luton Borough Council have done. LBC have a highly effective disruption team that work very closely with community teams.
PCC agreed and said that he was having conversations with the other two local authorities on this basis
PCC said that prevention is a core mission in the Police and Crime Plan: Strategic Direction 2025 – 2028 and underpins other missions such as Protecting Women and Children, Tackling Serious Crime and Reinvigorating Local Policing. He would expect the local policing strategy which is currently under development to address the enhancement of prevention and problem solving.
PCC said that given that many interventions, particularly early intervention, will not show benefits to policing for many years, it is important to identify shorter term benefits across the system – for example, better school attendance and reduced exclusions.
3.1 Tackling serious crime
JM presented the report highlighting Bedfordshire Police's efforts and progress in addressing serious crime, areas needing further development, and potential risks.
Proactive Engagement and Enforcement:
Bedfordshire Police have dedicated teams using proactive tactics to manage serious crime threats through engagement, intervention, and enforcement. Notable successes include seizing firearms, knives, and other weapons, safeguarding children, and disrupting serious offenders. The BOSON unit, established in 2019, has been effective in protecting life and preventing serious injury, with a high solved crime rate of 55% for all recorded crimes.
Addressing Organised Crime Groups (OCGs):
Bedfordshire faces unique challenges due to its transport links and the presence of OCGs. The force has mapped 17 OCGs, 14 Urban Street Gangs, and over 60 County Lines, making it the 6th highest nationally.
Tackling Drug-Related Crime:
Bedfordshire Police has identified significant issues with drug supply, including the use of synthetic opioids. Efforts to disrupt the drug market include the discovery and dismantling of cannabis factories and targeting enablers of drug supply.
Firearms and Related Weapons:
There has been an increase in firearms discharges, with half linked to gang or county lines issues. The BOSON unit has seized multiple firearms, indicating the prevalent threat faced by the community.
Preventative Orders:
Preventative orders are not commonly used for drug, serious youth violence (SYV), and knife crime matters due to reactive demand. There is a need for a more proactive approach in using these orders to prevent crime.
Safeguarding Vulnerable Associates:
Young and vulnerable individuals are being used to hold weapons and drugs for elders. More focus is needed on safeguarding these associates and exploring their links to serious crime.
County Lines Demand:
The demand around County Lines is vast, with over 60 lines currently operating in Bedfordshire. Further analysis and resources are required to address this issue effectively.
Complex Gang Violence:
Gang violence is becoming more complex, and there is a need for enhanced strategies to address this evolving threat.
Serious Crime Prevention Orders (SCPOs):
The capacity to monitor and proactively flag opportunities for SCPOs is limited. Increasing resources and training for the Offender Management Unit to manage SCPOs effectively is essential.
Funding and Resource Constraints:
The reliance on special grant income and the need to absorb inflationary pressures pose significant risks to long-term planning and resource allocation. Ensuring sustainable funding is crucial for continued success.
Service Provision:
The number of teams dedicated to dealing with drug and Serious Youth Violence threats is small compared to the demand.
Partnership Engagement:
While there are strengths in multi-agency referrals and interventions, there are gaps in engaging older victims and addressing complex gang violence. Strengthening partnerships and ensuring comprehensive engagement is vital.
Public Confidence:
Maintaining public confidence in the police's ability to tackle serious crime is essential. Any perceived failures or gaps in service provision could undermine trust and cooperation from the community.
PCC thanked JM for the report and asked questions about tackling serious crime.
PCC - recognised that Bedfordshire experiences a disproportionate level of serious crime and asked that statistical evidence is available to demonstrate this
CC – Compared to similar sized counties, Bedfordshire has a particularly high number of mapped organised crime groups, a high number of
nominals in serious organised crime related activities and are the sixth highest exporter of county lines.
Action – PCC asked for detailed comparative data with explanatory commentary which can be used both to explain the position to the public and to inform representations to government for funding.
PCC – How would you describe the distribution of crime geographically in the county?
CC – The divide of serious organised crime between the north and the south of the county is not all concentrated in Luton as is sometimes suggested. As you would expect Luton followed by Bedford is where the highest concentration of threat exists but there is a spread across all three areas.
PCC – How can partnership working in this area be improved?
CC – There are a lot of examples, particularly in town centres and hotspots of partnership working being effective as a matter of routine. Interventions for diversionary provision in relation to drug addiction could be improved, and drug-related intelligence needs to be mapped out geographically.
PCC – What are the advantages and disadvantages of the ‘clear, hold, build’ approach? How can partners be persuaded to invest in ‘clear, hold, build’?
CC – The approach has been proven to be highly effective if it has the correct investment from all agencies. Improved data from across the system would help to show the demand and potential impact of ‘clear, hold, build’. The ‘clear, hold, build’ approach reduces demand and all agencies in the medium to long term and certainly improves the lives of residents within the area.
PCC - agreed to work with the police to persuade partners, particularly local authorities, to commit to supporting ‘clear, hold, build’, with specific focus on the ‘hold’ and ‘build’ phases.
PCC – Aware that a lot of serious crime is underpinned by or related to drug crime. Therefore, tackling both the supply and demand is essential. He asked whether the police have sufficient resources for this?
CC – There is a commitment both from Bedfordshire Police and ERSOU to tackle drug-related crime, especially that which leads to serious violence and the establishment of the Drugs Focus Desk is important to this approach.
PCC – What does the drug market profile in Bedfordshire currently look like?
CC – The last drug profile conducted for the county suggested that up to 9% of Bedfordshire's population will have some use of illicit drugs. There is
no drug use that cannot be linked back to serious criminality or exploitation.
Action - PCC asked for a breakdown of this statistic by age, gender, ethnicity and location.
PCC – What diversion and intervention in schools is ongoing?
CC – Police have a good relationship with schools but need more data and shared demand partners including 3rd sector have considerable efforts ongoing with schools particularly in relation to the risks of county/drug lines including the methods that are used to pressurise and coerce young people into offending. More data sharing across the system could help really focus this effort to specific years in specific education settings. CC pointed out the efforts commissioned by the VERU as contributing to this.
PCC – For many years, hotspot locations for gang activity have been consistently the same. How can Bedfordshire Police get on top of it?
CC – The nature of serious violence has changed and is not as related to specific postcodes as it used to be. There is some direct correlation with social deprivation, and the data reflects that acting upon intelligence along with targeted hotspot policing is successful at disrupting activity.
PCC – Are the police exploring ways to increase the use of Serious Crime Prevention Orders?
CC – police service has begun to use these but need more legal resourcing and police resources to deal with any breaches that may occur. The effectiveness also needs to be better understood. Prevention orders are likely to be integral to community policing in the future.
PCC – How well are the teams resourced considering reliance on special grants? Is there any risk around capability and skill sets?
CC – the force has invested considerably in its capability and capacity to tackle serious and organised crime, and this is recognised by its ‘Good’ grading by HMICFRS for this area. However, this is very reliant on both the special grants it receives, the key area of effort to reduce demand on the service in this area is highly effective prevention. This is where the police want to see a real shift through place-based activity like ‘clear, hold, build’ and target interventions.
Item 4 - 4.1 Risk (Change in risk OPCC and Force)
No risks to report.
Item 5 - AOB
No AOB
---
Executive Summary: Bedfordshire Police's Delivery Against the PCC's Mission on Serious Violence
Overview
The Police and Crime Plan 2024. outlines the PCC's mission on tackling serious violence, emphasizing a zero-tolerance approach to serious crime, including drug, gun, and gang crime. The plan calls for a focused effort on disrupting the supply of drugs, arresting those responsible, and providing appropriate sentencing and treatment for users. It also highlights the importance of community involvement and collaboration with other agencies to effectively tackle serious crime[1].
The Serious Crime, P&G Spotlight report provides a detailed account of Bedfordshire Police's efforts and progress in addressing serious crime, aligning with the PCC's mission. This summary reviews Bedfordshire Police's delivery against the mission, identifies areas needing further development, and highlights potential risks.
Delivery Against the Mission
- Proactive Engagement and Enforcement: Bedfordshire Police have dedicated teams using proactive tactics to manage serious crime threats through engagement, intervention, and enforcement. Notable successes include seizing firearms, knives, and other weapons, safeguarding children, and disrupting serious offenders. The BOSON unit, established in 2019, has been effective in protecting life and preventing serious injury, with a high solved crime rate of 55% for all recorded crimes.
- Addressing Organised Crime Groups (OCGs): Bedfordshire faces unique challenges due to its transport links and the presence of OCGs. The force has mapped 17 OCGs, 14 Urban Street Gangs, and 68 County Lines, making it the 6th highest nationally. The COSTELLO unit, formed in response to the NCA operation VENETIC, focuses on disrupting high-harm serious and organised crime, particularly drug and firearm supply.
- Tackling Drug-Related Crime: The force has identified significant issues with drug supply, including the use of synthetic opioids and the involvement of taxi drivers in transporting drugs. Efforts to disrupt the drug market include the discovery and dismantling of cannabis factories and targeting enablers of drug supply.
- Youth Violence and Gang Activity: Bedfordshire Police have observed complex gang violence, with gangs forming alliances and using social media to advertise drugs and taunt rivals. The force has made strides in addressing serious youth violence through multi-agency referrals and interventions.
- Firearms and Related Weapons: There has been an increase in firearms discharges, with half linked to gang or county lines issues. The BOSON unit has seized multiple firearms, indicating the prevalent threat faced by the community.
Areas Needing More Development
- Preventative Orders: Preventative orders are not commonly used for drug, serious youth violence (SYV), and knife crime matters due to reactive demand. There is a need for a more proactive approach in using these orders to prevent crime.
- Safeguarding Vulnerable Associates: Young and vulnerable individuals are being used to hold weapons and drugs for elders. More focus is needed on safeguarding these associates and exploring their links to serious crime.
- County Lines Demand: The demand around County Lines is vast, with 82 lines currently operating in Bedfordshire. Further analysis and resources are required to address this issue effectively.
- Complex Gang Violence: Gang violence is becoming more complex, with gangs forming alliances and using social media for criminal activities. There is a need for enhanced strategies to address this evolving threat.
- Serious Crime Prevention Orders (SCPOs): The capacity to monitor and proactively flag opportunities for SCPOs is limited. Increasing resources and training for the Offender Management Unit to manage SCPOs effectively is essential.
Risks
- Funding and Resource Constraints: The reliance on special grant income and the need to absorb inflationary pressures pose significant risks to long-term planning and resource allocation. Ensuring sustainable funding is crucial for continued success.
- Service Provision: The number of teams dedicated to dealing with drug and Serious Youth Violence threats is small compared to the demand. This imbalance could hinder the force's ability to address serious crime effectively.
- Partnership Engagement: While there are strengths in multi-agency referrals and interventions, there are gaps in engaging older victims and addressing complex gang violence. Strengthening partnerships and ensuring comprehensive engagement is vital.
- Public Confidence: Maintaining public confidence in the police's ability to tackle serious crime is essential. Any perceived failures or gaps in service provision could undermine trust and cooperation from the community.
Conclusion
Bedfordshire Police have made significant strides in delivering against the PCC's mission on serious violence through proactive engagement, enforcement, and multi-agency collaboration. However, there are areas needing further development, particularly in preventative measures, safeguarding vulnerable associates, and addressing complex gang violence. Ensuring sustainable funding and strengthening partnerships are critical to mitigating risks and achieving long-term success in tackling serious crime.
[1]: Police and Crime Plan 2024
References
[1] Police and Crime Plan 2024
---
Executive Summary: Bedfordshire Police's Delivery Against the PCC's Mission on Prevention
Overview
The Police and Crime Plan 2024 outlines the PCC's mission on Prevention, emphasizing the importance of societal benefits, collaboration, and data sharing to address long-term causes of criminality. The plan highlights the need for joint efforts from public sector partners to reduce crime through effective prevention strategies. The Prevention P&G Spotlight document provides a detailed account of Bedfordshire Police's current initiatives, achievements, and areas requiring further development in alignment with the PCC's mission.
Key Deliverables Against the PCC's Mission
- Training and Development:
- Bedfordshire Police has implemented comprehensive training programs at all levels, including Senior Management, Problem Oriented Policing (POP) training for analysts and managers, and NVQ 3 qualification training for all PCSOs.
- The rollout of THRIVE+ (Threat Harm and Risk, Investigation, Vulnerability and Engagement) is ongoing, embedding prevention and intervention prompts across various departments.
- Problem-Solving and Prevention Initiatives:
- The Force has developed and launched an online toolkit for staff in Prevention & Problem-Solving, with ongoing maintenance and upgrades.
- POP Operations such as Salus, Octans, Highgate 2, Metal, Mercury Blade, and collaboration with the Home Office's Accelerated Capability Environment are in progress.
- The Force is aligning its efforts with national best practices, engaging partners in key forums, and developing initiatives like the Philomena Protocol and Herbert Protocol for vulnerable individuals.
- Community Engagement and Education:
- The Education and Diversion Team has engaged with over 43,000 children and young people, delivering educational inputs and supporting partner events.
- Innovative projects like the use of Virtual Reality Headsets for knife crime education and the development of a bespoke Bedfordshire Knife crime package are underway.
- Integrated Offender Management and Innovation:
- Integrated Offender Management (IOM) is working with Youth Services, Probation, and other partners to manage offenders and address the causes of offending.
- The Force is pioneering the use of Artificial Intelligence to assist with problem-solving approaches, aiming to save officer time and reduce harm.
Areas Needing More Development
- Performance Management:
- There is a need for more robust oversight and performance management of problem-solving plans at all levels to promote consistency and effectively measure performance.
- The lack of scrutiny and peer reviews of Problem-Solving plans is a gap that needs addressing to ensure effective evaluation and sharing of learning across the Force.
- Sustainability and Long-Term Approaches:
- Ensuring sustained approaches to long-term persistent problems is crucial. The Force needs to seek improvements in maintaining consistent efforts over time.
- Establishing an operational POP Team similar to other forces could help accelerate progress and improve performance in problem-solving and prevention work.
- Cultural and Structural Barriers:
- There is some resistance to engaging in problem-solving and prevention work, with a tendency to favour response-focused approaches[1].
- Analyst's recommendations often get ignored in favour of traditional responses, indicating a need for cultural change to support innovative problem-solving.
Risks and Barriers
- Partnership Engagement:
- While there are strong partnerships and collaboration, some silo working persists, requiring better mapping and coordination to ensure joined-up working and efficiencies.
- Partnership austerity may lead to the withdrawal of supportive functions, potentially putting additional burdens on policing resources.
- Resource Allocation and Funding:
- The Force faces challenges in ensuring equitable allocation of resources across the county, especially in areas with high demand[1].
- The PCC's plan highlights the need for additional funding and resources to support prevention initiatives, which may be impacted by budget constraints and funding shortfalls[1].
- Operational Challenges:
- The Force needs to improve the way it supports and uses problem-solving plans, addressing resistance to change and ensuring prioritisation of prevention efforts.
- Ensuring consistent approaches and alignment with national best practices is essential to maintain the effectiveness of prevention strategies.
Conclusion
Bedfordshire Police has made significant progress in delivering against the PCC's mission on Prevention, with notable achievements in training, problem-solving initiatives, community engagement, and innovation. However, there are areas requiring further development, particularly in performance management, sustainability, and overcoming cultural and structural barriers. Addressing these gaps and mitigating risks will be crucial to achieving the long-term goals of the PCC's mission and ensuring a safer and fairer Bedfordshire.
[1]: Police and Crime Plan 2024
References
Executive Summary: Bedfordshire Police's Delivery Against the PCC's Mission on Prevention
Overview
The Police and Crime Plan Final outlines the PCC's mission on Prevention, emphasizing the importance of societal benefits, collaboration, and data sharing to address long-term causes of criminality. The plan highlights the need for joint efforts from public sector partners to reduce crime through effective prevention strategies. The Prevention P&G Spotlight document provides a detailed account of Bedfordshire Police's current initiatives, achievements, and areas requiring further development in alignment with the PCC's mission.
Key Deliverables Against the PCC's Mission
- Training and Development:
- Bedfordshire Police has implemented comprehensive training programs at all levels, including Senior Management, Problem Oriented Policing (POP) training for analysts and managers, and NVQ 3 qualification training for all PCSOs.
- The rollout of THRIVE+ (Threat Harm and Risk, Investigation, Vulnerability and Engagement) is ongoing, embedding prevention and intervention prompts across various departments.
- Problem-Solving and Prevention Initiatives:
- The Force has developed and launched an online toolkit for staff in Prevention & Problem-Solving, with ongoing maintenance and upgrades.
- POP Operations such as Salus, Octans, Highgate 2, Metal, Mercury Blade, and collaboration with the Home Office's Accelerated Capability Environment are in progress.
- The Force is aligning its efforts with national best practices, engaging partners in key forums, and developing initiatives like the Philomena Protocol and Herbert Protocol for vulnerable individuals.
- Community Engagement and Education:
- The Education and Diversion Team has engaged with over 43,000 children and young people, delivering educational inputs and supporting partner events.
- Innovative projects like the use of Virtual Reality Headsets for knife crime education and the development of a bespoke Bedfordshire Knife crime package are underway.
- Integrated Offender Management and Innovation:
- Integrated Offender Management (IOM) is working with Youth Services, Probation, and other partners to manage offenders and address the causes of offending.
- The Force is pioneering the use of Artificial Intelligence to assist with problem-solving approaches, aiming to save officer time and reduce harm.
Areas Needing More Development
- Performance Management:
- There is a need for more robust oversight and performance management of problem-solving plans at all levels to promote consistency and effectively measure performance.
- The lack of scrutiny and peer reviews of Problem-Solving plans is a gap that needs addressing to ensure effective evaluation and sharing of learning across the Force.
- Sustainability and Long-Term Approaches:
- Ensuring sustained approaches to long-term persistent problems is crucial. The Force needs to seek improvements in maintaining consistent efforts over time.
- Establishing an operational POP Team similar to other forces could help accelerate progress and improve performance in problem-solving and prevention work.
- Cultural and Structural Barriers:
- There is some resistance to engaging in problem-solving and prevention work, with a tendency to favour response-focused approaches.
- Analysts' recommendations often get ignored in favour of traditional responses, indicating a need for cultural change to support innovative problem-solving.
Risks and Barriers
- Partnership Engagement:
- While there are strong partnerships and collaboration, some silo working persists, requiring better mapping and coordination to ensure joined-up working and efficiencies.
- Partnership austerity may lead to the withdrawal of supportive functions, potentially putting additional burdens on policing resources.
- Resource Allocation and Funding:
- The Force faces challenges in ensuring equitable allocation of resources across the county, especially in areas with high demand.
- The PCC's plan highlights the need for additional funding and resources to support prevention initiatives, which may be impacted by budget constraints and funding shortfalls.
- Operational Challenges:
- The Force needs to improve the way it supports and uses problem-solving plans, addressing resistance to change and ensuring prioritisation of prevention efforts.
- Ensuring consistent approaches and alignment with national best practices is essential to maintain the effectiveness of prevention strategies.
Conclusion
Bedfordshire Police has made significant progress in delivering against the PCC's mission on Prevention, with notable achievements in training, problem-solving initiatives, community engagement, and innovation. However, there are areas requiring further development, particularly in performance management, sustainability, and overcoming cultural and structural barriers. Addressing these gaps and mitigating risks will be crucial to achieving the long-term goals of the PCC's mission and ensuring a safer and fairer Bedfordshire.
Executive Summary: Bedfordshire Police's Delivery Against the PCC's Mission on Serious Violence
Overview
The Police and Crime Plan Final outlines the PCC's mission on tackling serious violence, emphasizing a zero-tolerance approach to serious crime, including drug, gun, and gang crime. The plan calls for a focused effort on disrupting the supply of drugs, arresting those responsible, and providing appropriate sentencing and treatment for users. It also highlights the importance of community involvement and collaboration with other agencies to effectively tackle serious crime.
The Serious Crime, P&G Spotlight report provides a detailed account of Bedfordshire Police's efforts and progress in addressing serious crime, aligning with the PCC's mission. This summary reviews Bedfordshire Police's delivery against the mission, identifies areas needing further development, and highlights potential risks.
Delivery Against the Mission
- Proactive Engagement and Enforcement: Bedfordshire Police have dedicated teams using proactive tactics to manage serious crime threats through engagement, intervention, and enforcement. Notable successes include seizing firearms, knives, and other weapons, safeguarding children, and disrupting serious offenders. The BOSON unit, established in 2019, has been effective in protecting life and preventing serious injury, with a high solved crime rate of 55% for all recorded crimes.
- Addressing Organised Crime Groups (OCGs): Bedfordshire faces unique challenges due to its transport links and the presence of OCGs. The force has mapped 17 OCGs, 14 Urban Street Gangs, and 68 County Lines, making it the 6th highest nationally. The COSTELLO unit, formed in response to the NCA operation VENETIC, focuses on disrupting high-harm serious and organised crime, particularly drug and firearm supply.
- Tackling Drug-Related Crime: The force has identified significant issues with drug supply, including the use of synthetic opioids and the involvement of taxi drivers in transporting drugs. Efforts to disrupt the drug market include the discovery and dismantling of cannabis factories and targeting enablers of drug supply.
- Youth Violence and Gang Activity: Bedfordshire Police have observed complex gang violence, with gangs forming alliances and using social media to advertise drugs and taunt rivals. The force has made strides in addressing serious youth violence through multi-agency referrals and interventions.
- Firearms and Related Weapons: There has been an increase in firearms discharges, with half linked to gang or county lines issues. The BOSON unit has seized multiple firearms, indicating the prevalent threat faced by the community.
Areas Needing More Development
- Preventative Orders: Preventative orders are not commonly used for drug, serious youth violence (SYV), and knife crime matters due to reactive demand. There is a need for a more proactive approach in using these orders to prevent crime.
- Safeguarding Vulnerable Associates: Young and vulnerable individuals are being used to hold weapons and drugs for elders. More focus is needed on safeguarding these associates and exploring their links to serious crime.
- County Lines Demand: The demand around County Lines is vast, with 82 lines currently operating in Bedfordshire. Further analysis and resources are required to address this issue effectively.
- Complex Gang Violence: Gang violence is becoming more complex, with gangs forming alliances and using social media for criminal activities. There is a need for enhanced strategies to address this evolving threat.
- Serious Crime Prevention Orders (SCPOs): The capacity to monitor and proactively flag opportunities for SCPOs is limited. Increasing resources and training for the Offender Management Unit to manage SCPOs effectively is essential.
Risks
- Funding and Resource Constraints: The reliance on special grant income and the need to absorb inflationary pressures pose significant risks to long-term planning and resource allocation. Ensuring sustainable funding is crucial for continued success.
- Service Provision: The number of teams dedicated to dealing with drug and Serious Youth Violence threats is small compared to the demand. This imbalance could hinder the force's ability to address serious crime effectively.
- Partnership Engagement: While there are strengths in multi-agency referrals and interventions, there are gaps in engaging older victims and addressing complex gang violence. Strengthening partnerships and ensuring comprehensive engagement is vital.
- Public Confidence: Maintaining public confidence in the police's ability to tackle serious crime is essential. Any perceived failures or gaps in service provision could undermine trust and cooperation from the community.
Conclusion
Bedfordshire Police have made significant strides in delivering against the PCC's mission on serious violence through proactive engagement, enforcement, and multi-agency collaboration. However, there are areas needing further development, particularly in preventative measures, safeguarding vulnerable associates, and addressing complex gang violence. Ensuring sustainable funding and strengthening partnerships are critical to mitigating risks and achieving long-term success in tackling serious crime.
Police and Crime Commissioner’s Office Performance and Governance Board
Monday 26th February 2025
Welcome
Present:
John Tizard, Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC)
Trevor Rodenhurst, Chief Constable – Police Service (CC)
In Attendance:
Phil Wells, Chief Finance Officer – Police Service/OPCC (PW)
Zara Brown, Detective Chief Superintendent - Police Service (ZB)
Umme Ali, Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner (UA)
Sharn Basra, Chief Executive – OPCC (SB)
Lara Lewis, Staff Officer – PCC (LL)
Fiona Dawson, Staff Officer – CC (FD)
Katie Beaumont, Head of Governance and Transparency (KB)
Agenda Item
Item 1:
Minutes of meeting held and for agreement and matters arising PCC welcomed everyone to meeting and welcomed both Detective Chief Superintendent Zara Brown and Deputy PCC Umme Ali to their first meeting of the Performance and Government Board.
Apologies from Deputy Chief Constable and Assistant Chief Constable. Minutes from previous meeting were agreed.
Item 2
Actions from previous meeting were agreed as completed or will be brought forward to April meeting.
CC noted that Respect Orders, as highlighted in the recent Crime and Policing Bill, are being further discussed with local authorities.
Action:
Review of pan-Bedfordshire governance to be coordinated by OPCC, rationalising arrangements in line with best practice.
Item 3 Performance
3.1 Protecting women and children
ZB presented report on Bedfordshire Police performance in the areas of tackling violence against women and girls, highlighting areas of strength as well as where improvements need to be made. Notably, a focus on the specialist units working more proactively around intelligence has helped the police service to perform better in the area.
- Bedfordshire Police are leading on training for tackling violence against women and girls (VAWC).
- frontline staff are being trained on initial response to rape and serious sexual offences – 568 so far.
- Investigation staff are completing rape investigator’s specialist development programme training.
- Increasingly VAWC crimes are being reported which reflects a boost in public confidence. Bedfordshire Police have now had over 1000 disclosures around Clare’s Law which has helped to reduce repeat victimisation to 28.6%.
- all rape offences are subject to a review by a dedicated inspector.
- the police are looking to improve referrals to out of court disposal services, such as in domestic abuse.
- the police are looking to invest in a street-working liaison officer for on-street sexual exploitation.
- ZB has seen improvements in data sharing through the Pathfinder process, but a single MASH would be better.
Challenges:
- the data shows that domestic abuse victims are less likely to withdraw if offender is arrested within 7 days. This needs to be improved, seeking to commission bespoke research on investigation standards.
- Data sharing in child protection area, this is a national issue. There is a need for a single MASH and at minimum full data sharing between Bedfordshire agencies
- RASSO has a low number of outstanding suspects.
- Other teams need to make improvements on speed at which outstanding suspects are identified.
PCC thanked ZB for the report and asked if the government proposed national centre for VAWG would leave less room for local responsiveness? ZB – Bedfordshire Police has already tailored approach to VAWG including children, with a unique approach highlighting the prevalence of male offenders. Now looking to align data across Bedfordshire and across three local authorities.
CC – concurred
PCC asked if victim attrition could be reduced using out of court disposals? ZB – survey results show that victims are satisfied upon first contact but then are being during investigation stage. This is being prioritised.
PCC asked if the service explores the use of Outcome 22.
ZB – This needs to be looked at further to understand what it is showing.
PCC asked how meetings and partnership arrangements can be streamlined?
CC – An agreement from main partners is needed to streamline pan- Bedfordshire arrangements. All agencies conscious of the time spent in meetings. PCC said that this was a key objective for him in 2025
PCC asked if the CC is satisfied with balance of internal governance structures?
CC – they all feed into the executive board, but these are constantly reviewed
PCC asked at what stage victim attrition occurs, and what is the attrition rate pre- and post-charging?
ZB - This can be due to court delays, but they are prioritising VAWG offences through CPS. Police have a very good working relationship with CPS. There is keen engagement across the partnership to understand the delays in the process, this is being reviewed in the next 6 months. Police must be upfront and honest with our victims and witnesses. PCC said that was a key objective for him through his CJS mission and through the CJB.
CC – Any delay in the system will lead to attrition. There needs to be regular updates from people with the right expertise. Major cause of delays is a system wide failure, with all agencies contributing to them.
PCC asked about the solve rate standing at 9.9% for VAWG offences and asked what a realistic target would be? He said that the public understandably might consider this low. He asked how Bedfordshire’s solve rate compared with the national position
ZB –. ACC is looking to set realistic KPIs around crime types including VAWs. It requires more qualified officers but there is now an increasing number of qualified people and there is a very stable team. There are VAWG crimes being dealt with by many different teams in the organisation and all teams need to have appropriate training – this is happening but will take some time to be fully rolled out. She highlighted a recent example where 3 stranger rape offenders have been identified within days of the crime being reported
PCC asked about progress relating to domestic abuse training for Patrol and control room staff.
CC – this is being rolled out across the teams. There are now Raneem’s law DA advisors in the control room. The PCC expressed his pleasure that this had happened, and that Bedfordshire is one of the five police services piloting this approach. He looked forward to evidence of the impact.
ZB – Police now deploy rape investigators out to respond to incidents to make initial contact with victim.
PCC asked if ZB is satisfied about the quality of data from across the criminal justice system under Op Soteria and is it consistent?
ZB – Police need to look at the use of different systems. Now have data coming into the force but some agencies are reluctant to share data.
PCC asked if victim contact compliance is better in RASSO because of the role of victim engagement officers?
ZB – victim contact is better in RASSO and domestic abuse team, but police are looking at improving this for CID. Also improved by IDVA and ISVA. Victims need a single point of contact.
CC – VEOs are a very valuable asset. PCC and DPCC concurred with this
PCC asked how effective communications initiatives are at increasing reporting?
ZB – measuring this can be challenging but work is underway.
PCC asked about the impact of increase in Clare’s Law disclosures Is Emerald is resourced well enough to be able to deal with this. When he and the DPCC met the Emerald team it was clear that they are doing some excellent work in both promoting and applying Clare’s law.
CC – In the recent past overtime was used to process ‘the right to ask’ and ‘right to know’ notifications due to the level of research required. However there has been a step change with the force now using its Nectar AI tool to do the research in a fraction of the time, hence the rapid improvement in productivity and performance in this area.
PCC asked what the reduction in domestic abuse reoffending is due to? ZB – More information on the impact of the Chrysalis centre is needed. However, the reduction could be likely in part to be due to the proactive work done by the domestic abuse team in prioritising repeat offenders and the significant increase in Clare’s Law referrals.
PCC asked about inexperience at PC and DS level – how many PIP2 investigators would CC like to have?
CC – Number of investigators always improving. By December 2025 police will have 213 detectives PIP2 qualified, out of an in force (excluding collaborative units) establishment of 233 which is great progress compared to where the force was a couple of years ago.
PCC asked about file quality, understanding that this is an issue across the organisation, not just in VAWG specialist teams.
CC – file quality has and continues to improve however we need to be more efficient to reduce delays to submission. There is a lot of checking that occurs at various stages which has improved quality but not necessarily speed and we need to ensure we are efficient at all stages of the process.
DPCC asked if there is sufficient resource to tackle online abuse and exploitation?
CC – ICAIT have high workloads, but Bedfordshire Police are more invested than some other forces of similar sizes and team’s output is strong. The online threat is significant nationally (and internationally) and more should be done at a national level to ensure that we prevent perpetrators using the internet and online platforms as a method to identify and potentially gain access to potential victims.
3.2 Putting victims at the centre of the criminal justice system
PCC thanked ZB for report on Victim Support, recognising that the police service has made a lot of progress in this area but has a long way to go. He said that treating every victim from the point of reporting the crime to sentencing was core to his Police and Crime Plan, and should be a police service key objective too
ZB presented the report, highlighting:
- there is currently no metric framework agreed to measure compliance against VCOP but there is a dashboard that is helping to monitor it. Now looking at the quality of initial victims needs assessments, victim statements and understanding attrition.
- Looking to launch further surveys to measure victim satisfaction in areas of domestic abuse and rape and serious sexual offences.
- have introduced victim champions across the organisation – aware that initial victims needs assessments are poor quality.
- The survey shows that there is initial victim satisfaction, but this then decreases once the case is passed onto investigation teams. This is due to staff not updating victims and a lack of clear strategy and guidance on how often to update victims.
- Police service is now setting standards for continuous improvements.
- Looking into investing in developing a victim’s portal so a victim can see the progress of their investigation and leave messages for the officer in the case.
PCC asked what the targets and milestones are being set to improve victim support?
ZB - More evidence needed which police hope to have by the summer. PCC said he would expect a positive report at the Victims spotlight meeting
PCC asked what good look would like in terms of satisfaction?
CC – every victim being satisfied is clearly what we should aim for however where cases have not progressed due to insufficient evidence or being unable to identify a suspect a victim is likely to be unsatisfied. PCC said he would expect to see targets and milestones at the next Victims Spotlight meeting
PCC asked what had been done to compare Bedfordshire performance against national statistics
ZB - Victim commissioners survey shows that 40% were dissatisfied due to lack of investigation/attendance and communication. PCC asked for more comparative data together with details of what is planned to close any gaps
PCC asked how police are improving victim support awareness and practice through training?
CC – Bedfordshire Police are taking it back to basics in terms of training victim contact and looking at other forces for research. Bedfordshire Police have a young workforce with lots of new people and need to keep retraining to set a culture of excellent victim service. The use of technology has helped to make improvements.
PCC asked how police are improving referrals to Bedfordshire Victim Care Services?
ZB – pushing out communications on the BVCS offer will help. Staff need a better understanding of what they do, and BVCS need a closer working relationship with the police service.
PCC asked how police are looking to improve Language Line and explore other options for this service?
CC – the force is currently looking at technological solutions.
Item 4 Risk (Change in risk OPCC and Force)
CEO reported: Firearms licencing – BCH has an improvement plan in place to eliminate the backlog within 6 months with 11 additional staff and the deployment of the Bedfordshire AI Nectar system
PW reported on Finance – budget position is healthier than reported at the last Performance and Governance Board - £1.4m has now been allocated by the government for Hotpot policing. An announcement on special grants is still awaited but there is cause to be optimistic of a rollover figure
OPCC restructure to be complete in next couple of months. Currently recruiting for vacancies and redundancies being managed.
Otherwise, the risk position is as reported to Joint Audit Committee.
Item 8 AOB
Action:
PCC said that he and the CC are agreeing how the HMICFRS PEEL Inspection improvement plan and progress against it will be reported to and scrutinised by the PCC at future Performance and Governance Board from April 2025. He would expect robust scrutiny to hold the CC to account
Action:
Future spotlight reports and meetings to be better aligned with police and crime plan.
Bedfordshire Police
Protecting Women and Children Spotlight
OPCC performance and Governance Board
26/02/25
DCS Zara BROWN
Foreword
In 2024, police chiefs declared violence against women and girls a national emergency, calling for a comprehensive approach involving criminal justice partners, government bodies, and industry to prevent this violence.
To address this, a dedicated taskforce was established within the National Police Chiefs’ Council in 2021. The current government has committed to halving violence against women and girls within a decade, requiring a united effort across all sectors.
Since its inception, the taskforce has collaborated with various organizations to ensure consistency and best practices across all police forces in England and Wales.
The true measure of success will be the improved experiences of victims and survivors, many of whom do not report the abuse they suffer and lack access to necessary support and justice. Understanding everyone's role in tackling this issue is crucial, and aligning strategies with partners is essential for effective action and improvement.
Contents
- MVAWG – Definition. 4
- National and Regional Overview.. 4
- Local Update. 4
- Victim and Witness Attrition. 4
- MVAWG Performance Overview.. 5
- Local picture - Recorded Crime. 5
- Recorded crime trend by team.. 5
- Solved Rate. 5
- Local Governance Structures. 5
- Tactical Meetings. 6
- Operation Soteria, DA and Male Violence Against Women and Girls Tactical Plan. 6
- Operation Soteria Section. 6
- Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Team (RASSO) 6
- Workstream updates against Delivery. 6
- Child Sexual Exploitation. 6
- Emerald. 7
- Protecting Vulnerable People. 7
- Community. 7
- Night-time Economy. 8
- CID North & South. 8
- Corporate Communications. 8
- Hestia Launch. 9
- Out Of Court Disposals: 9
- File Quality Unit: 9
- Professional Standards Department. 9
- Blue Bell 10
- Online Abuse and Exploitation. 10
MVAWG – Definition
Bedfordshire Police address Male Violence Against Women and Girls (MVAWG) for female victims aged 10 and over in four areas: public spaces, private spaces, online, and educational establishments. The crimes considered under MVAWG include:
- Domestic Abuse / Stalking and Harassment
- Violence
- Public Order
- Rape and Sexual Offences
- Homicide
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National and Regional Overview
A National Centre is proposed to unify the Operation Soteria programme, the Vulnerability, Knowledge, and Practice Programme, and the Violence Against Women and Girls Taskforce. This collaboration, supported by the Home Office, will receive £13 million in funding to continue their work.
The new centre aims to consolidate expertise and provide a more effective approach to tackling child abuse, violence against women and girls, and public protection. Its three strategic priorities are:
- Achieving consistency of practice
- Professionalising public protection
- Addressing the scale of the challenge posed by VAWG
The centre will work with academics to ensure an evidence-based approach, transforming how policing responds to these crimes.
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Local Update
Following the Angiolini report, Bedfordshire Police have made internal changes, such as moving Indecent Exposure cases to the main CID function. Every outcome for Rape and Serious Sexual Offences is reviewed by a Detective Inspector, and a dedicated Superintendent oversees the implementation of recommendations. A Chief Inspector leads Domestic Abuse efforts within CID to improve performance and culture. Frequent Body-Worn Video reviews are conducted, with findings presented within the ISDB.
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Victim and Witness Attrition
The chart shows changes in victim and witness attrition rates, measured from Q1 2022/23 to Q1 2024/25. Attrition rates generally range from 15% to 35%, indicating a significant portion of victims and witnesses disengage from the process.
Key Priorities for Victim Attrition
To address victim attrition in VAWG cases, the following priorities have been identified:
- Cross-System Process: Partners are reviewing cases to understand why victims withdraw and at what stage.
- Holistic Support: Ensuring victims and witnesses receive adequate information and realistic expectations after reporting a crime.
- Complaint Analysis: Investigating complaints to identify the most impacted teams.
- MVAWG Performance Overview
- Local Picture - Recorded Crime
- December: 943 VAWG crimes
- January: 932 VAWG crimes
- Levels have remained stable (compared to 872 in November and 893 in October).
- MVAWG offences increased to 557 in January.
- An upward trend in VAWG recorded crimes over the last three months.
- 59.8% of VAWG offences have a male suspect, with 26.6% having no suspect gender recorded.
- Recorded Crime Trend by Team
- Highest VAWG offence rates are in Patrol, followed by Emerald and CID.
- Most VAWG offences relate to Domestic Abuse / Stalking and Harassment.
- Solved Rate
- January VAWG solved rate: 9.9%
- Positive trends in 3-month and 12-month rolling averages:
- 2021/22: 8.2%
- 2022/23: 7.7%
- 2023/24: 9.3%
- 2024/25: 10%
- MVAWG solved rate: 14.9%, a 1% increase from last month and the previous year.
- Emerald consistently solves the most VAWG offences (28.1% in December, 30.3% in October, 27.7% in November), followed by CID (increased from 6.2% to 11.6%).
Local Governance Structures
- Tactical Meetings: Tactical meetings for Domestic Abuse, Soteria, and MVAWG are chaired by the DSU of Public Protection. These meetings focus on key issues, including the Suzy Lamplugh super complaint, and are updated through DA Silver and the Soteria Working Group. All meetings report to the MVAWG Gold Board, which tracks progress and aligns with the Vulnerability and Exploitation Strategy.
- Operation Soteria, DA, and MVAWG Tactical Plan: A merged tactical plan for Operation Soteria and VAWG runs alongside the DA Tactical Plan. The plan aims to:
- Identify key offenders and victims of MVAWG and RASSO offences.
- Detect emerging crime series and threats, such as spiking, stalking, voyeurism, and exposure.
- Focus on high-harm and repeat offenders, as well as vulnerable victims.
The plan ensures a victim-centred, suspect-focused approach, considering factors like the relationship between victim and offender and protected characteristics (age, disability, gender reassignment, etc.).
- Operation Soteria Operation Soteria Working Group, chaired by the head of Crime and PPU, monitors progress and reports to MVAWG Gold. The initiative aims to improve performance rates for Rape and Serious Sexual Offences (SSO) through project management support and data analysis.
- Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Team (RASSO)Performance Improvements:
- Rape offences increased by 23.9% in the 2024-25 financial year, with a 14% increase in solved crimes (7.2% solved rate).
- Other Sexual Offences increased by 32.7%, but the solved rate decreased to 8.3%.
- Victim contact compliance remained strong at 97-100%.
- Intelligence submissions increased significantly, with 162 submissions in 2024.
- Efficient suspect management, with outstanding suspects at an all-time low of 26.
Challenges and Future Plans:
- Increased demand for rape cases (17% rise from December 2023-January 2025) poses challenges in case file building and submissions.
- Staffing shortages and CPS resourcing issues have caused delays.
- Efforts to address these issues include training, new policies, and additional roles, such as a dedicated DS for File Quality and Investigation Standards.
- Regular CPD days and collaboration with CPS aim to overcome performance barriers, while ongoing projects like Op Trinity and Op Soteria enhance investigations and manage workloads.
- Work stream Updates Against Delivery
- Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)Performance Improvements:
- Increased CSE flagging and disruption activities, with flagged crimes rising from 3 to 11 per month.
- Bedfordshire leads in CSAE intel submissions, with 416 submissions.
- "Operation Make Safe" initiative is well-established, with 67 contacts made year to date.
- Hydrant Program’s CSAE training and the #EndGame online safety campaign for teens.
Challenges and Future Plans:
- Resource limitations and lack of coordinated governance hinder communication and case ownership.
- Inconsistent practices among local authorities complicate police efforts.
- Future plans focus on enhancing collaboration and aligning CSE flagging systems.
- Emerald Performance Improvements:
- Positive outcomes above 14%.
- Reduced repeat offending and higher charge and remand rates.
- Increased Clare’s Law disclosures (418 in the past year).
- Joint review meetings with CPS to understand court case failures.
Challenges and Future Plans:
- Duplication of information and uncertainty around processes.
- Loss of performance analyst and ineffective risk ratings.
- Future planning includes THRIVE+ introduction, more Clare’s Law disclosures, and policy changes for DA-related suicides.
- Protecting Vulnerable People Performance Improvements:
- 37% reduction in outstanding suspects.
- 17% drop in assigned crimes.
- Significant decrease in long-term sick leave.
- New VAWG Silver meeting and Luton Pathfinder project.
Challenges and Future Plans:
- Inexperience at constable and sergeant levels.
- Longer case preparation times due to the new Athena system.
- Future plans include ongoing CPD, technology and AI improvements, and developing "Survivors Voice" forums.
- Community Performance Improvements:
- 22 deployments in the Octans area, targeting drugs and county lines.
- Key arrest of a suspect involved in violent crimes.
- Performance metrics: Prevent: 2, Protect: 7, Pursue: 29.
Challenges and Future Plans:
- Delayed outreach for sex workers.
- Safer Streets funding ends in March.
- Future plans include a domestic violence drop-in centre and training sessions for sex workers.
- Night-time Economy Performance Improvements:
- Project Firefly relaunch during Christmas/New Year 2024.
- VAWG targeted during Luton Town Football Club matches.
- Forensic freezer funding approved.
- Special constabulary training on VAWG and Bluebell support.
Challenges and Future Plans:
- Resourcing challenges for NTE operations.
- Plans to collaborate on reducing VAWG offences and provide specific VAWG training for licensed premises and door staff.
- CID North & South Performance Improvements:
- Focus on investigating outstanding suspects in VAWG, DV, and Serious & Organised Crime.
- Key operations include Op OCTANS (sexual exploitation) and Op WORDEN (town centre sexual assaults).
Challenges and Future Plans:
- Many VAWG cases filed as "no further action" due to lack of victim support.
- Future focus on increasing support for VAWG cases, improving DA responses, and targeting repeat offenders.
- Corporate Communications Performance Improvements:
- Hestia Launch: Internal article published on January 9, viewed by 648 people. All-staff email sent on January 6. Viva Engage posts for Luton and HQ events viewed by 946 and 847 people, respectively.
- Emerald Proactive Arrest Team: Internal article marking 12 months since EPATY and 204 arrests, viewed by 932 people. Video shared on Facebook and Instagram, with significant engagement.
Future Plans:
- ‘It’s Not OK’ Week: Highlighting Hestia in articles and blogs (Feb 3-9).
- Future content for Emerald focusing on sentencing, operational work, and Clare’s Law.
- Hestia Launch Performance Improvements:
- Hestia went live on January 9, 2025, with 7 referrals received (5 IDVA and 2 ISVA).
- Aims to support Bedfordshire employees, improving work standards and reducing sickness related to domestic and sexual abuse.
Challenges and Future Plans:
- Addressing awareness through internal and external communication efforts.
- Monitoring service use, gathering monthly reports, extending the pilot, and making a long-term investment in supporting affected employees.
- Out Of Court Disposals Performance Improvements:
- Improved administration and victim feedback, with three DA OOCRs submitted in December/January 2025.
- Ongoing training within the OOCR team and across the force.
Challenges and Future Plans:
- Overuse of simple cautions, inexperienced officers, and insufficient gatekeeping.
- Collaboration with Herts Police, reviews of Outcome 16s, and participation in the national OOCR partnership.
- Future goals include reducing simple cautions, increasing conditional cautions in DA cases, and ensuring appropriate diversions for MOSOVO offences.
- File Quality Unit Performance Improvements:
- Improved DGA compliance and reduction in delays for charging decisions.
- New FQU Review recording process to improve data quality and performance reviews.
- Weekly drop-in sessions with DCPs across Thames and Chiltern.
Challenges and Future Plans:
- Inexperienced supervisors and officers, frequent need for amendments in case files.
- Ongoing collaboration with Tri-Force File Quality leads and Athena Team.
- Regular meetings with CPS and bi-monthly Force Wide File Quality Tactical Meetings.
- 3-day training for student officers and supervisors, upskilling sessions for specialist teams, and ongoing communication of File Quality updates.
- Professional Standards Department Performance Improvements:
- Bi-monthly PPDA Delivery Board improving victim support and compliance.
- DA Pledge launched in December 2024 to support workforce members affected by domestic abuse.
- VAWG Scrutiny Panel offers feedback on PSD case handling.
Challenges and Future Plans:
- Under-reporting of historic issues, increased workforce confidence in reporting.
- High demand with conduct caseloads up 17% from last year.
- Collaboration with agencies to raise awareness of abuse of position for sexual purposes.
- Revised PPDA policy and DA Pledge part 2 to be launched soon.
- Blue Bell Performance Improvements:
- "It’s Not OK" week featured input from Dr. Fay Sweeting on Police Sexual Misconduct.
- Increased disclosures/requests for Blue Bell support.
- Formation of focus groups for the Bournemouth University Sexual Misconduct National Review.
Challenges and Future Plans:
- Potential pilot for Fay Sweeting research.
- Updating themes/awareness material to incorporate generational differences.
- Supporting police victims of DA, with planned meetings to ensure consistency and support.
- Online Abuse and Exploitation
Performance Improvements:
- In 2024, ICAIT carried out 600 arrests for online abuse.
- Focus on public safety and risk mitigation, with prompt risk reviews and prioritization of arrests.
- Despite staffing issues, warrants and arrests are executed without delay.
Challenges and Future Plans:
- Increased demand from the National Crime Agency (NCA) and a backlog of post-enforcement demands.
- Rise in subjects on bail (from 180 to 259) and assigned crimes (from 181 to 235) in 2024.
- Staffing shortages may lead to burnout, budget overspend, and delays in reviews and risk assessments.
- Issues with retrieving performance data.
- Proactive tactics to identify and prevent further offending, with staff attending CPD and specialized courses.
Bedfordshire Police
Victims Spotlight Report
OPCC Performance and Governance Board
26/02/25
DCS Zara BROWN
Foreword
For too long the focus of the Criminal Justice System has been around the perpetrator. The tide is now turning slowly with the focus and emphasis being on the victim needs and rights. This can be seen through the new Victim & Prisoners Act 2024 and the revised Victims’ Code enshrined within and the appointment of the Victims Commissioner. Bedfordshire Police have always remained committed to keeping victims at the focus of every investigation and ensuring their voices are heard throughout their journey. The Act and the new Victims’ Code will help to reinforce this, ensuring victims within Bedfordshire are given the best level of service the force can provide.
National and Regional overview
Victim and Prisoners Act 2024 Overview
The Victim and Prisoners Act 2024 became law on May 25, 2024. While some parts of the Act are not yet active, preparations are underway to ensure full compliance when they are implemented. Key points include:
- Victims' Code (Sections 4-7): These sections are not yet in force. They focus on promoting awareness of the Victims' Code among service users and ensuring services are provided accordingly. Criminal justice bodies, like Bedfordshire Police, must collect and share information about these services and gather feedback from victims. However, non-compliance with the code does not result in legal liability.
- Collaboration for Victim Support (Sections 12-13): These sections are also not yet in force. They require collaboration between the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC), health, and local authorities to create and maintain a strategy for victim support services, particularly for domestic abuse, sexual offenses, and serious violence.
- Domestic Abuse Death Reviews (Section 18): This section, not yet in force, mandates reviews of deaths resulting from domestic abuse to identify lessons learned. These reviews must be submitted to the Secretary of State and the Domestic Abuse Commissioner.
- Notification to Educational Establishments (Section 19): This section, not yet in force, requires notifying schools if there are reasonable grounds to believe a child may be a victim of domestic abuse.
- Third-Party Material Gathering (Section 27): This section, not yet in force, tightens rules around requests for third-party material, ensuring they are relevant, necessary, and proportionate to the investigation. It also restricts access to counselling records unless they have significant value to the investigation.
Bedfordshire Police Update
Bedfordshire Police have begun promoting and complying with the Victims' Code and reviewing our service provision. We conduct Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHR) and run Operation Encompass to meet the requirements of Sections 18 and 19.
Update on MOJ Pilot for Victims’ Code Compliance
The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) has been reviewing how to gather data to show compliance with the Victims' Code. A pilot involving 11 police forces, including Hertfordshire and Essex, ran from April to July 2024 to explore data quality, resource implications, and current compliance levels. The findings were presented in September 2024, leading to several recommendations:
- The Victims' Code is being revised, with an updated version expected for consultation in early 2025 and implementation in 2026. No metrics framework will be agreed upon until then.
- Forces are encouraged to improve systems and procedures in preparation for the revised Code.
- Data may need to be broken down by crime type and protected characteristics.
- There will be a greater focus on the Victim Personal Statement and tighter timescales for its offer.
- Consideration is being given to a standardised national Independent Victim Needs Assessment (IVNA).
- The consultation will address clarity and accuracy of the Code, updated policies, focus on children and vulnerable adults, and how victims access information about their cases.
Source: MOJ presentation to NPCC 25/09/2024
Bedfordshire Police Update
Although not part of the pilot, Bedfordshire Police have been monitoring progress and improving their systems and procedures. They can already break down compliance data by crime type and protected characteristics. The force is focusing on the Victim Personal Statement and improving the quality of IVNA completion. They are also participating in working groups to contribute to service provision and gather best practices.
- National and Local Surveys
The MOJ has noted that no current survey collects reliable and representative data across agencies and areas for all victim cohorts. A feasibility study ran from October 2023 to May 2024, with findings to be published later. A national survey is planned for 2026, and the NPCC is reviewing the surveying model with police forces.
Bedfordshire Police Update
Bedfordshire Police launched new surveys on November 4, 2024, to gather feedback from all crime victims. They plan to add a third survey for victims of Domestic Abuse, RASSO, and Stalking. The force is working with Thames Valley Police and Hampshire & Isle of Wight Police on survey efforts and is reviewing NPCC requests for information.
- Police and Crime Commissioner – Police and Crime Plan 2024-2028
The Bedfordshire Police strategy supports the Police and Crime Commissioner’s (PCC) plan for 2024-2028, focusing on two main missions:
- Placing Victims at the Heart of the Criminal Justice System: This mission aims to ensure a seamless journey for victims from the moment a crime is reported to its conclusion, including court phases. The PCC has pledged to improve communication, support, pace, and effectiveness of justice for victims, addressing system failures that lead to a loss of trust and confidence.
- Tackling Violence Against Women and Children: Aligned with national strategies, this mission seeks to build victims' confidence and understanding, encouraging them to report incidents of domestic, sexual, and child abuse. The PCC will fund projects to engage hard-to-reach demographics, breaking down barriers and building trust to encourage crime reporting. Community partnerships will provide support to the most vulnerable members of society.
Bedfordshire Police Update
Bedfordshire Police are accountable to the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) and must align their strategies with the PCC’s mission and values. Efforts include:
- Monitoring and improving compliance with the Victims' Code.
- Increasing referrals to the Bedfordshire Victim Care Service to 25%.
- Scrutinising performance through the newly created Force Victim Board.
- Reviewing and amending processes to address inefficiencies.
- Providing training and support to departments.
- Engaging in partnerships through the Victim and Witness Engagement Board to review the victim journey and address service gaps.
- Focusing on building confidence and understanding among hard-to-reach community members to encourage crime reporting.
- Using feedback from "Survivors Voice" to understand and improve the victim experience.
The force and the PCC recognize that delivering this plan will take time, requiring cultural and behavioural changes across the Police and the wider Criminal Justice System.
Source – PCC – Police and Crime Plan 2024-2028
- Local Governance Structure
Force Victim Changes
In June 2024, funding was approved for a Victims Hub and a new position, the Victim Tactical Lead. This role oversees operational aspects of victim care, including compliance monitoring, victim surveys, feedback, and coordination of various victim support initiatives. The Tactical Lead also supports work related to Soteria Pillar 3.
- Force Victim Board
The Force Victim Board is responsible for monitoring victim care within the force. Chaired by the victim strategic lead, it includes representatives from all departments at the Chief Inspector level. The board's goals are to:
- Monitor compliance with the Victims' Code.
- Review feedback from victim surveys to identify good practices and areas for improvement.
- Serve as the focal point for all victim-related work, including engagement opportunities with local communities.
- Hold departments accountable for performance issues and set actions monitored through the FVB Learning Tracker RAID.
- Highlight good work.
The second Force Victim Board meeting took place on January 23, 2025. A delivery plan was created to align with the Victim and Witness strategy, tracking progress and identifying areas for action and development. The board feeds into several other governance boards, including the ISDB, Trust & Confidence Board, Vulnerability & Exploitation Board, and Performance Board.
- Victim & Witnesses Engagement Board
This board provides an opportunity for the force to collaborate with partners to improve the victim experience. Information from the Force Victim Board is shared with partners, who can also inform the force about their work and explore further collaborative opportunities. Additional stakeholders are being added to ensure balanced representation. The board's terms of reference have been amended to align with the Force Victim Board, ensuring complementary work both internally and in multi-agency partnerships.
Statutory Governance
Currently, the only statutory governance requirement is ADR444, which involves monthly surveys conducted by Victim Support for victims of Domestic Abuse. These survey results are reviewed by the Force Victim Board. The force is awaiting further statutory guidance from the MOJ regarding the Victims' Code and the full enactment of the Victim and Prisoners Bill 2024. In the meantime, the force is adapting its operations in preparation for future requirements, which will be included in the Force Victim Board's delivery plan and wider governance efforts.
- Victims' Code Compliance
The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) has not yet specified which rights and metrics police forces need to report on. However, they have encouraged forces to review data collection opportunities in preparation for the revised Code.
Bedfordshire Police Update
Bedfordshire Police are updating their PowerBI Victims' Code pages to monitor performance. These pages will break down data by crime type, demographics, team, and officer in charge (OIC), with monthly updates. The main data source is Athena, but due to the time required to input data, the force is working to standardise processes for greater accuracy.
- Current Performance Against Victims' Code
Right 1: Right to be able to understand and be understood:
Data Collection: Monthly updates from Language Line on interpreter usage (both face-to-face and over the phone) and data from the Initial Attendance Survey sent to all crime victims (excluding certain cases).
Current Performance:
Usage of language line has slightly dropped in relation to face to face support. In relation to telephone contact, we cannot directly attribute this to specific victim contact due to the way the information is gathered.
Development - The survey data is still in the process of being uploaded onto our PowerBI site to enable review alongside language line. The data is slightly out of date due to issues of adding the information onto PowerBI.
Right 2: To have details of your crime recorded without unjustified delay
Bedfordshire Police, along with other forces, monitor crimes recorded within 24 hours to comply with this right. The target is 90% compliance, measured from the time a crime is recorded on STORM to when it is created on Athena. In January, the overall compliance was 93.4%. Performance by department was:
- Patrol: 91.6% of crimes recorded within 24 hours.
- Crime Bureau: 95.3% of crimes recorded within 24 hours.
These departments are crucial as they are at the forefront of recording crimes. The force can sample and identify delays for resolution.
Current performance:
Right 4: To be referred to services that support victims and have services and support tailored to your need
This right is measured by the completion of Independent Victim Needs Assessments (IVNA) and referrals to the Bedfordshire Victim Care Service (BVCS).
IVNA (Independent Victim Needs Assessment)
- Completion Rate: The completion rate for IVNA has dropped to 92.2% from 94.5% in December 2024, but the average remains around 90%.
- Quality Concerns: The quality of IVNA is a concern, with insufficient detail being added for proper assessments. This issue was highlighted by a recent HMIC inspection and within the ISDB and Force Victim Boards. Efforts are underway to improve IVNA quality through the Force Victim Board and the Prevention & Problem Solving Board.
Enhanced Rights
- Training and Learning: Ongoing training ensures officers correctly identify and record enhanced rights on Athena. Data will be broken down by team to address any gaps.
- Data Recording: It is challenging to report on whether officers complete required tasks within 24 hours due to current data recording methods. The force aims to improve accuracy by identifying victims entitled to enhanced rights at the point of crime recording, with re-evaluation by the officer in charge (OIC) as investigations progress.
BVCS (Bedfordshire Victim Care Service)
- Referral Rates: Referrals to BVCS have been dropping monthly. Efforts in June 2024 increased referrals from 14.7% to 19.6%, but the rate has since declined to 16.7%.
- Challenges: The main issue is that officers do not fully understand the role of BVCS and how to refer victims. A review of referrals, along with training and support, is underway to increase the uptake of support services. Performance will be closely monitored, with referrals broken down by team to identify opportunities for improvement.
- Victim Engagement Officers: The force is working to highlight the vital role of Victim Engagement Officers. Although this is not currently reported, efforts are being made to ensure their contributions are captured and showcased.
Right 12: To make a complaint about your rights not being met
- Complaints Data: Information is held within the CRT (complaints system) and transferred to PowerBI. Due to the sensitive nature of complaints, data is restricted. Between January 2024 and January 2025, 80 complaints were made regarding Right 6, where victims were not updated about their investigations.
- Rights in Transition/Development
- Right 3: To be provided with information when reporting a crime
- Current Status: Not accurately monitored. Changes are being made to improve performance, including a new Crime Bureau Template and GOODSAM messaging. Officers will use the "Initial Victim Letter Sent" log on Athena to ensure compliance.
- Right 5: To be provided with information about compensation
- Current Status: Not currently monitored. Reporting will start on the CICA element, but other compensation claims are difficult to identify.
- Right 6: To be provided with information around investigations and prosecutions
- Current Status: Monitored, but data collection is challenging due to recording methods. Moving towards a standardized process using mandatory VCOP drop-downs on Athena for better accuracy. This right is also included in the investigation survey for direct victim feedback.
- Right 7: To make a Victim Personal Statement (VPS)
- Current Status: Monitored on the offer of a VPS on Athena Crime and Athena Case. Standardisation process being implemented to improve data collection and monitoring of VPS offers and uptake.
- Right 8: To be given information around the trial, trial process, and your role as a witness & Right 9: To be given information about the outcome of the case and any appeals
- Current Status: Information provided by WCU, but extraction is difficult due to WMS restrictions. WCU is exploring the use of Athena Case as an alternative. Current monitoring involves dip sampling, which is resource-intensive.
- Right 11: To be given information about the offender following a conviction
- Current Status: WCU holds information on referrals to the Victim Contact Scheme. Discussions are ongoing about extracting this information for PowerBI. The second part of this right, relevant to probation, will not be reported.
- Rights not Monitored
- Right 10: To be paid expenses and have property returned
- Current Status: Not monitored on PowerBI. Expense claims from CPS cannot be reported, and property return data is difficult to differentiate between victim and other property.
- Tracking & Improving Performance
Bedfordshire Police are using PowerBI to track performance related to the Victims' Code. The data will be reviewed by the Force Performance Board to identify areas for improvement. Actions will be set for specific business areas and monitored through the RAID system. The tactical lead will conduct monthly dip samples to monitor performance, and findings will be presented at various boards for executive awareness. To encourage compliance, posters, leaflets, and QR code cards linking to the Victims' Code website have been distributed across the force.
- The Victims' Voice
Listening to and understanding victims is crucial for decision-making and providing appropriate support. This helps build trust, reduce victimisation, and increase support for prosecutions. Bedfordshire Police gather victim feedback through several mechanisms:
- Survivors Voice: This initiative allows victims to speak directly to officers about their experiences and the police response. Currently focused on domestic abuse, it is expanding to include victims of serious sexual offences and child victims. Feedback from these sessions is used to improve police practices.
- Listening Circles: These sessions provide a safe space for community members to discuss issues impacting them. Recent topics include misogynoir and its effects on black female officers. Recommendations from these sessions are reviewed and potentially embedded within the organisation.
- Surveying Victims of Crime: Bedfordshire Police conduct surveys with all crime victims in three ways:
- Email and SMS Surveys: For non-high harm crimes, focusing on initial attendance and investigation.
- Telephone Surveys: Conducted by Victim Support for high harm crimes, including domestic abuse, stalking, and RASSO. These surveys combine initial attendance and investigation questions.
The results of these surveys are discussed at the Force Victim Board and the Performance Board to shape how the force supports its victims.
Current Survey Themes & Trends
All data starting from 04/11/24
Overall positive Initial Attendance responses = 80 (61.5%)
Overall positive Investigation responses = 87 (61.7%)
Source – GOVMETRIC Initial attendance & Investigation Surveys
Survey Results
- Initial Response Surveys: Out of 130 surveys, 80 were positive (61.5%).
- Investigation Surveys: Out of 141 surveys, 87 were positive (61.7%), a 10% increase from early December.
Response Type
- Initial Contact/Attendance: High satisfaction, with over 90% satisfied with initial call taker professionalism.
- Victims' Code (Initial Attendance Survey): Feeling taken seriously has the biggest impact on dissatisfaction. Those who disagreed with this were 7 times more likely to be very dissatisfied.
- Officer/Policing (Investigation Survey): Satisfaction rates are 50-60%. Concerns are highest for "Trust and Confidence" and "Confident to Report Crime."
- Victims' Code (Investigation): Issues with making and using personal statements, with only 42% agreeing with the statement.
- Terms of Reference
Vision
To improve the quality and level of service given to victims and witnesses by Bedfordshire Police.
- Strategic Aim
- Provide the best service to victims while complying with legislative requirements.
- Drive internal performance and hold business areas accountable.
- Maximize partnership working opportunities.
- Share good practices and changes across the organisation.
- Monitor progress, risks, and issues monthly in the Force Victim Board.
- Deliverables
- Create a performance framework for the Victims’ Code.
- Enable victims to provide feedback on their experience.
- Listen to victim and witness testimonials through Survivors Voice and Listening Circles.
- Work with regional and national partners to amend processes and policies.
- Provide training, support, and guidance to officers and staff.
- Foster closer partnership working through VWEB.
- Govern victim and witness service provision through the Force Victim Board.
- Support work as part of Op Soteria Pillar 3.
Projected Aims Over the Next 12 Months
- Update the Victim Care Policy.
- Standardise processes on Athena for consistency.
- Improve victim needs assessments.
- Enhance victim contact and communication throughout investigations.
- Invest in good working relationships with partners.
- Ensure compliance with the Victims' Code.
- Maintain a robust complaints system for dissatisfied victims.
- Policing Reforms to Enhance the Victim Journey
Recent changes in policing aim to make the criminal justice system more victim-centric, improving the victim experience and building greater trust and confidence within communities. Legislative changes, such as the Victim & Prisoners Act 2024 and Domestic Abuse Act 2021, support these reforms. While cultural and behavioural changes take time, training and support for officers will help improve the victim journey. Additional initiatives include:
- Access to Support Services: Bedfordshire Victim Care Service (BVCS) reviews victims' needs and refers them to specialist services. However, it is under utilised due to officers' lack of awareness. Educating and encouraging officers to complete referrals is vital for victim welfare.
- Trauma-Informed Training: Training officers to understand the psychological impact of crimes like domestic or sexual abuse will improve their response to vulnerable victims, providing a more personalized service.
- Introducing a Victims Portal: To keep victims informed, a portal will provide key information about the criminal justice process and enable two-way interaction with officers. This will reduce demand on the control room and improve relationships between victims and officers.
- Victims Focus within Community Policing Strategy: Community officers, with their local knowledge, will play an active role in the victim strategy, bridging the gap between policing and hard-to-reach victims. This will encourage crime reporting and increase trust and confidence in the police.
- Standardised Process to Improve Data Accuracy: Standardising how officers record information on Athena will improve data accuracy and performance monitoring, leading to better focus on areas needing improvement.
Supporting victims of crime requires collaboration across the force and the use of innovative technology and techniques. This will enhance the effectiveness and fairness of policing, instilling trust and confidence, improving outcomes, and contributing to safer communities.
Bedfordshire Police
Protecting Women and Children Spotlight
OPCC performance and Governance Board
26/02/25
Foreword
In 2024, police chiefs declared violence against women and girls a national emergency, calling for a comprehensive approach involving criminal justice partners, government bodies, and industry to prevent this violence.
To address this, a dedicated taskforce was established within the National Police Chiefs’ Council in 2021. The current government has committed to halving violence against women and girls within a decade, requiring a united effort across all sectors.
Since its inception, the taskforce has collaborated with various organizations to ensure consistency and best practices across all police forces in England and Wales.
The true measure of success will be the improved experiences of victims and survivors, many of whom do not report the abuse they suffer and lack access to necessary support and justice. Understanding everyone's role in tackling this issue is crucial, and aligning strategies with partners is essential for effective action and improvement.
- MVAWG – Definition
Bedfordshire Police address Male Violence Against Women and Girls (MVAWG) for female victims aged 10 and over in four areas: public spaces, private spaces, online, and educational establishments. The crimes considered under MVAWG include:
- Domestic Abuse / Stalking and Harassment
- Violence
- Public Order
- Rape and Sexual Offences
- Homicide
- National and Regional Overview
A National Centre is proposed to unify the Operation Soteria programme, the Vulnerability, Knowledge, and Practice Programme, and the Violence Against Women and Girls Taskforce. This collaboration, supported by the Home Office, will receive £13 million in funding to continue their work.
The new centre aims to consolidate expertise and provide a more effective approach to tackling child abuse, violence against women and girls, and public protection. Its three strategic priorities are:
- Achieving consistency of practice
- Professionalising public protection
- Addressing the scale of the challenge posed by VAWG
The centre will work with academics to ensure an evidence-based approach, transforming how policing responds to these crimes.
- Local Update
Following the Angiolini report, Bedfordshire Police have made internal changes, such as moving Indecent Exposure cases to the main CID function. Every outcome for Rape and Serious Sexual Offences is reviewed by a Detective Inspector, and a dedicated Superintendent oversees the implementation of recommendations. A Chief Inspector leads Domestic Abuse efforts within CID to improve performance and culture. Frequent Body-Worn Video reviews are conducted, with findings presented within the ISDB.
- Victim and Witness Attrition
The chart shows changes in victim and witness attrition rates, measured from Q1 2022/23 to Q1 2024/25. Attrition rates generally range from 15% to 35%, indicating a significant portion of victims and witnesses disengage from the process.
Key Priorities for Victim Attrition
To address victim attrition in VAWG cases, the following priorities have been identified:
- Cross-System Process: Partners are reviewing cases to understand why victims withdraw and at what stage.
- Holistic Support: Ensuring victims and witnesses receive adequate information and realistic expectations after reporting a crime.
- Complaint Analysis: Investigating complaints to identify the most impacted teams.
- MVAWG Performance Overview
a) Local Picture - Recorded Crime
- December: 943 VAWG crimes
- January: 932 VAWG crimes
- Levels have remained stable (compared to 872 in November and 893 in October).
- MVAWG offences increased to 557 in January.
- An upward trend in VAWG recorded crimes over the last three months.
- 59.8% of VAWG offences have a male suspect, with 26.6% having no suspect gender recorded.
b) Recorded Crime Trend by Team
- Highest VAWG offence rates are in Patrol, followed by Emerald and CID.
- Most VAWG offences relate to Domestic Abuse / Stalking and Harassment.
c) Solved Rate
- January VAWG solved rate: 9.9%
- Positive trends in 3-month and 12-month rolling averages:
- 2021/22: 8.2%
- 2022/23: 7.7%
- 2023/24: 9.3%
- 2024/25: 10%
- MVAWG solved rate: 14.9%, a 1% increase from last month and the previous year.
- Emerald consistently solves the most VAWG offences (28.1% in December, 30.3% in October, 27.7% in November), followed by CID (increased from 6.2% to 11.6%).
Local Governance Structures
a) Tactical MeetingsTactical meetings for Domestic Abuse, Soteria, and MVAWG are chaired by the DSU of Public Protection. These meetings focus on key issues, including the Suzy Lamplugh super complaint, and are updated through DA Silver and the Soteria Working Group. All meetings report to the MVAWG Gold Board, which tracks progress and aligns with the Vulnerability and Exploitation Strategy.
b) Operation Soteria, DA, and MVAWG Tactical PlanA merged tactical plan for Operation Soteria and VAWG runs alongside the DA Tactical Plan. The plan aims to:
- Identify key offenders and victims of MVAWG and RASSO offences.
- Detect emerging crime series and threats, such as spiking, stalking, voyeurism, and exposure.
- Focus on high-harm and repeat offenders, as well as vulnerable victims.
The plan ensures a victim-centred, suspect-focused approach, considering factors like the relationship between victim and offender and protected characteristics (age, disability, gender reassignment, etc.).
c) Operation Soteria Operation Soteria Working Group, chaired by the head of Crime and PPU, monitors progress and reports to MVAWG Gold. The initiative aims to improve performance rates for Rape and Serious Sexual Offences (SSO) through project management support and data analysis.
d) Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Team (RASSO)Performance Improvements:
- Rape offences increased by 23.9% in the 2024-25 financial year, with a 14% increase in solved crimes (7.2% solved rate).
- Other Sexual Offences increased by 32.7%, but the solved rate decreased to 8.3%.
- Victim contact compliance remained strong at 97-100%.
- Intelligence submissions increased significantly, with 162 submissions in 2024.
- Efficient suspect management, with outstanding suspects at an all-time low of 26.
Challenges and Future Plans:
- Increased demand for rape cases (17% rise from December 2023-January 2025) poses challenges in case file building and submissions.
- Staffing shortages and CPS resourcing issues have caused delays.
- Efforts to address these issues include training, new policies, and additional roles, such as a dedicated DS for File Quality and Investigation Standards.
- Regular CPD days and collaboration with CPS aim to overcome performance barriers, while ongoing projects like Op Trinity and Op Soteria enhance investigations and manage workloads.
- Workstream Updates Against Delivery
a) Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)Performance Improvements:
- Increased CSE flagging and disruption activities, with flagged crimes rising from 3 to 11 per month.
- Bedfordshire leads in CSAE intel submissions, with 416 submissions.
- "Operation Make Safe" initiative is well-established, with 67 contacts made year to date.
- Hydrant Program’s CSAE training and the #EndGame online safety campaign for teens.
Challenges and Future Plans:
- Resource limitations and lack of coordinated governance hinder communication and case ownership.
- Inconsistent practices among local authorities complicate police efforts.
- Future plans focus on enhancing collaboration and aligning CSE flagging systems.
b) EmeraldPerformance Improvements:
- Positive outcomes above 14%.
- Reduced repeat offending and higher charge and remand rates.
- Increased Clare’s Law disclosures (418 in the past year).
- Joint review meetings with CPS to understand court case failures.
Challenges and Future Plans:
- Duplication of information and uncertainty around processes.
- Loss of performance analyst and ineffective risk ratings.
- Future planning includes THRIVE+ introduction, more Clare’s Law disclosures, and policy changes for DA-related suicides.
c) Protecting Vulnerable PeoplePerformance Improvements:
- 37% reduction in outstanding suspects.
- 17% drop in assigned crimes.
- Significant decrease in long-term sick leave.
- New VAWG Silver meeting and Luton Pathfinder project.
Challenges and Future Plans:
- Inexperience at constable and sergeant levels.
- Longer case preparation times due to the new Athena system.
- Future plans include ongoing CPD, technology and AI improvements, and developing "Survivors Voice" forums.
d) CommunityPerformance Improvements:
- 22 deployments in the Octans area, targeting drugs and county lines.
- Key arrest of a suspect involved in violent crimes.
- Performance metrics: Prevent: 2, Protect: 7, Pursue: 29.
Challenges and Future Plans:
- Delayed outreach for sex workers.
- Safer Streets funding ends in March.
- Future plans include a domestic violence drop-in centre and training sessions for sex workers.
e) Night-time EconomyPerformance Improvements:
- Project Firefly relaunch during Christmas/New Year 2024.
- VAWG targeted during Luton Town Football Club matches.
- Forensic freezer funding approved.
- Special constabulary training on VAWG and Bluebell support.
Challenges and Future Plans:
- Resourcing challenges for NTE operations.
- Plans to collaborate on reducing VAWG offences and provide specific VAWG training for licensed premises and door staff.
f) CID North & SouthPerformance Improvements:
- Focus on investigating outstanding suspects in VAWG, DV, and Serious & Organised Crime.
- Key operations include Op OCTANS (sexual exploitation) and Op WORDEN (town centre sexual assaults).
Challenges and Future Plans:
- Many VAWG cases filed as "no further action" due to lack of victim support.
- Future focus on increasing support for VAWG cases, improving DA responses, and targeting repeat offenders.
g) Corporate CommunicationsPerformance Improvements:
- Hestia Launch: Internal article published on January 9, viewed by 648 people. All-staff email sent on January 6. Viva Engage posts for Luton and HQ events viewed by 946 and 847 people, respectively.
- Emerald Proactive Arrest Team: Internal article marking 12 months since EPATY and 204 arrests, viewed by 932 people. Video shared on Facebook and Instagram, with significant engagement.
Future Plans:
- ‘It’s Not OK’ Week: Highlighting Hestia in articles and blogs (Feb 3-9).
- Future content for Emerald focusing on sentencings, operational work, and Clare’s Law.
h) Hestia LaunchPerformance Improvements:
- Hestia went live on January 9, 2025, with 7 referrals received (5 IDVA and 2 ISVA).
- Aims to support Bedfordshire employees, improving work standards and reducing sickness related to domestic and sexual abuse.
Challenges and Future Plans:
- Addressing awareness through internal and external communication efforts.
- Monitoring service use, gathering monthly reports, extending the pilot, and making a long-term investment in supporting affected employees.
i) Out Of Court DisposalsPerformance Improvements:
- Improved administration and victim feedback, with three DA OOCRs submitted in December/January 2025.
- Ongoing training within the OOCR team and across the force.
Challenges and Future Plans:
- Overuse of simple cautions, inexperienced officers, and insufficient gatekeeping.
- Collaboration with Herts Police, reviews of Outcome 16s, and participation in the national OOCR partnership.
- Future goals include reducing simple cautions, increasing conditional cautions in DA cases, and ensuring appropriate diversions for MOSOVO offences.
j) File Quality UnitPerformance Improvements:
- Improved DGA compliance and reduction in delays for charging decisions.
- New FQU Review recording process to improve data quality and performance reviews.
- Weekly drop-in sessions with DCPs across Thames and Chiltern.
Challenges and Future Plans:
- Inexperienced supervisors and officers, frequent need for amendments in case files.
- Ongoing collaboration with Tri-Force File Quality leads and Athena Team.
- Regular meetings with CPS and bi-monthly Force Wide File Quality Tactical Meetings.
- 3-day training for student officers and supervisors, upskilling sessions for specialist teams, and ongoing communication of File Quality updates.
k) Professional Standards DepartmentPerformance Improvements:
- Bi-monthly PPDA Delivery Board improving victim support and compliance.
- DA Pledge launched in December 2024 to support workforce members affected by domestic abuse.
- VAWG Scrutiny Panel offers feedback on PSD case handling.
Challenges and Future Plans:
- Under-reporting of historic issues, increased workforce confidence in reporting.
- High demand with conduct caseloads up 17% from last year.
- Collaboration with agencies to raise awareness of abuse of position for sexual purposes.
- Revised PPDA policy and DA Pledge part 2 to be launched soon
l) Blue BellPerformance Improvements:
- "It’s Not OK" week featured input from Dr. Fay Sweeting on Police Sexual Misconduct.
- Increased disclosures/requests for Blue Bell support.
- Formation of focus groups for the Bournemouth University Sexual Misconduct National Review.
Challenges and Future Plans:
- Potential pilot for Fay Sweeting research.
- Updating themes/awareness material to incorporate generational differences.
- Supporting police victims of DA, with planned meetings to ensure consistency and support.
m) Online Abuse and Exploitation
Performance Improvements:
- In 2024, ICAIT carried out 600 arrests for online abuse.
- Focus on public safety and risk mitigation, with prompt risk reviews and prioritization of arrests.
- Despite staffing issues, warrants and arrests are executed without delay.
Challenges and Future Plans:
- Increased demand from the National Crime Agency (NCA) and a backlog of post-enforcement demands.
- Rise in subjects on bail (from 180 to 259) and assigned crimes (from 181 to 235) in 2024.
- Staffing shortages may lead to burnout, budget overspend, and delays in reviews and risk assessments.
- Issues with retrieving performance data.
- Proactive tactics to identify and prevent further offending, with staff attending CPD and specialized courses.
Bedfordshire Police
Victims Spotlight Report
OPCC Performance and Governance Board
26/02/25
Foreword
For too long the focus of the Criminal Justice System has been around the perpetrator. The tide is now turning slowly with the focus and emphasis being on the victim needs and rights. This can be seen through the new Victim & Prisoners Act 2024 and the revised Victims’ Code enshrined within and the appointment of the Victims Commissioner. Bedfordshire Police have always remained committed to keeping victims at the focus of every investigation and ensuring their voices are heard throughout their journey. The Act and the new Victims’ Code will help to reinforce this, ensuring victims within Bedfordshire are given the best level of service the force can provide.
- National and Regional overview
a) Victim and Prisoners Act 2024 Overview
The Victim and Prisoners Act 2024 became law on May 25, 2024. While some parts of the Act are not yet active, preparations are underway to ensure full compliance when they are implemented. Key points include:
- Victims' Code (Sections 4-7): These sections are not yet in force. They focus on promoting awareness of the Victims' Code among service users and ensuring services are provided accordingly. Criminal justice bodies, like Bedfordshire Police, must collect and share information about these services and gather feedback from victims. However, non-compliance with the code does not result in legal liability.
- Collaboration for Victim Support (Sections 12-13): These sections are also not yet in force. They require collaboration between the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC), health, and local authorities to create and maintain a strategy for victim support services, particularly for domestic abuse, sexual offenses, and serious violence.
- Domestic Abuse Death Reviews (Section 18): This section, not yet in force, mandates reviews of deaths resulting from domestic abuse to identify lessons learned. These reviews must be submitted to the Secretary of State and the Domestic Abuse Commissioner.
- Notification to Educational Establishments (Section 19): This section, not yet in force, requires notifying schools if there are reasonable grounds to believe a child may be a victim of domestic abuse.
- Third-Party Material Gathering (Section 27): This section, not yet in force, tightens rules around requests for third-party material, ensuring they are relevant, necessary, and proportionate to the investigation. It also restricts access to counselling records unless they have significant value to the investigation.
Bedfordshire Police Update
Bedfordshire Police have begun promoting and complying with the Victims' Code and reviewing our service provision. We conduct Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHR) and run Operation Encompass to meet the requirements of Sections 18 and 19.
b) Update on MOJ Pilot for Victims’ Code Compliance
The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) has been reviewing how to gather data to show compliance with the Victims' Code. A pilot involving 11 police forces, including Hertfordshire and Essex, ran from April to July 2024 to explore data quality, resource implications, and current compliance levels. The findings were presented in September 2024, leading to several recommendations:
- The Victims' Code is being revised, with a new version expected for consultation in early 2025 and implementation in 2026. No metrics framework will be agreed upon until then.
- Forces are encouraged to improve systems and procedures in preparation for the revised Code.
- Data may need to be broken down by crime type and protected characteristics.
- There will be a greater focus on the Victim Personal Statement and tighter timescales for its offer.
- Consideration is being given to a standardized national Independent Victim Needs Assessment (IVNA).
- The consultation will address clarity and accuracy of the Code, updated policies, focus on children and vulnerable adults, and how victims access information about their cases.
Source: MOJ presentation to NPCC 25/09/2024
Bedfordshire Police Update
Although not part of the pilot, Bedfordshire Police have been monitoring progress and improving their systems and procedures. They can already break down compliance data by crime type and protected characteristics. The force is focusing on the Victim Personal Statement and improving the quality of IVNA completion. They are also participating in working groups to contribute to service provision and gather best practices.
c) National and Local Surveys
The MOJ has noted that no current survey collects reliable and representative data across agencies and areas for all victim cohorts. A feasibility study ran from October 2023 to May 2024, with findings to be published later. A national survey is planned for 2026, and the NPCC is reviewing the surveying model with police forces.
Bedfordshire Police Update
Bedfordshire Police launched new surveys on November 4, 2024, to gather feedback from all crime victims. They plan to add a third survey for victims of Domestic Abuse, RASSO, and Stalking. The force is working with Thames Valley Police and Hampshire & Isle of Wight Police on survey efforts and is reviewing NPCC requests for information.
d) Police and Crime Commissioner – Police and Crime Plan 2024-2028
The Bedfordshire Police strategy supports the Police and Crime Commissioner’s (PCC) plan for 2024-2028, focusing on two main missions:
- Placing Victims at the Heart of the Criminal Justice System: This mission aims to ensure a seamless journey for victims from the moment a crime is reported to its conclusion, including court phases. The PCC has pledged to improve communication, support, pace, and effectiveness of justice for victims, addressing system failures that lead to a loss of trust and confidence.
- Tackling Violence Against Women and Children: Aligned with national strategies, this mission seeks to build victims' confidence and understanding, encouraging them to report incidents of domestic, sexual, and child abuse. The PCC will fund projects to engage hard-to-reach demographics, breaking down barriers and building trust to encourage crime reporting. Community partnerships will provide support to the most vulnerable members of society.
Bedfordshire Police Update
Bedfordshire Police are accountable to the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) and must align their strategies with the PCC’s mission and values. Efforts include:
- Monitoring and improving compliance with the Victims' Code.
- Increasing referrals to the Bedfordshire Victim Care Service to 25%.
- Scrutinizing performance through the newly created Force Victim Board.
- Reviewing and amending processes to address inefficiencies.
- Providing training and support to departments.
- Engaging in partnerships through the Victim and Witness Engagement Board to review the victim journey and address service gaps.
- Focusing on building confidence and understanding among hard-to-reach community members to encourage crime reporting.
- Using feedback from "Survivors Voice" to understand and improve the victim experience.
The force and the PCC recognize that delivering this plan will take time, requiring cultural and behavioural changes across the Police and the wider Criminal Justice System.
Source – PCC – Police and Crime Plan 2024-2028
- Local Governance Structure
a) Force Victim Changes
In June 2024, funding was approved for a Victims Hub and a new position, the Victim Tactical Lead. This role oversees operational aspects of victim care, including compliance monitoring, victim surveys, feedback, and coordination of various victim support initiatives. The Tactical Lead also supports work related to Soteria Pillar 3.
b) Force Victim Board
The Force Victim Board is responsible for monitoring victim care within the force. Chaired by the victim strategic lead, it includes representatives from all departments at the Chief Inspector level. The board's goals are to:
- Monitor compliance with the Victims' Code.
- Review feedback from victim surveys to identify good practices and areas for improvement.
- Serve as the focal point for all victim-related work, including engagement opportunities with local communities.
- Hold departments accountable for performance issues and set actions monitored through the FVB Learning Tracker RAID.
- Highlight good work.
The second Force Victim Board meeting took place on January 23, 2025. A delivery plan was created to align with the Victim and Witness strategy, tracking progress and identifying areas for action and development. The board feeds into several other governance boards, including the ISDB, Trust & Confidence Board, Vulnerability & Exploitation Board, and Performance Board.
c) Victim & Witnesses Engagement Board
This board provides an opportunity for the force to collaborate with partners to improve the victim experience. Information from the Force Victim Board is shared with partners, who can also inform the force about their work and explore further collaborative opportunities. Additional stakeholders are being added to ensure balanced representation. The board's terms of reference have been amended to align with the Force Victim Board, ensuring complementary work both internally and in multi-agency partnerships.
Statutory Governance
Currently, the only statutory governance requirement is ADR444, which involves monthly surveys conducted by Victim Support for victims of Domestic Abuse. These survey results are reviewed by the Force Victim Board. The force is awaiting further statutory guidance from the MOJ regarding the Victims' Code and the full enactment of the Victim and Prisoners Bill 2024. In the meantime, the force is adapting its operations in preparation for future requirements, which will be included in the Force Victim Board's delivery plan and wider governance efforts.
- Victims' Code Compliance
The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) has not yet specified which rights and metrics police forces need to report on. However, they have encouraged forces to review data collection opportunities in preparation for the revised Code.
Bedfordshire Police Update
Bedfordshire Police are updating their PowerBI Victims' Code pages to monitor performance. These pages will break down data by crime type, demographics, team, and officer in charge (OIC), with monthly updates. The main data source is Athena, but due to the time required to input data, the force is working to standardize processes for greater accuracy.
a) Current Performance Against Victims' Code
Right 1: Right to be able to understand and be understood:
Data Collection: Monthly updates from Language Line on interpreter usage (both face-to-face and over the phone) and data from the Initial Attendance Survey sent to all crime victims (excluding certain cases).
Current Performance:
Usage of language line has slightly dropped in relation to face to face support. In relation to telephone contact, we cannot directly attribute this to specific victim contact due to the way the information is gathered.
Development - The survey data is still in the process of being uploaded onto our PowerBI site to enable review alongside language line. The data is slightly out of date due to issues of adding the information onto PowerBI.
Right 2: To have details of your crime recorded without unjustified delay
Bedfordshire Police, along with other forces, monitor crimes recorded within 24 hours to comply with this right. The target is 90% compliance, measured from the time a crime is recorded on STORM to when it is created on Athena. In January, the overall compliance was 93.4%. Performance by department was:
- Patrol: 91.6% of crimes recorded within 24 hours.
- Crime Bureau: 95.3% of crimes recorded within 24 hours.
These departments are crucial as they are at the forefront of recording crimes. The force can sample and identify delays for resolution.
Right 4: To be referred to services that support victims and have services and support tailored to your need
This right is measured by the completion of Independent Victim Needs Assessments (IVNA) and referrals to the Bedfordshire Victim Care Service (BVCS).
IVNA (Independent Victim Needs Assessment)
- Completion Rate: The completion rate for IVNA has dropped to 92.2% from 94.5% in December 2024, but the average remains around 90%.
- Quality Concerns: The quality of IVNA is a concern, with insufficient detail being added for proper assessments. This issue was highlighted by a recent HMIC inspection and within the ISDB and Force Victim Boards. Efforts are underway to improve IVNA quality through the Force Victim Board and the Prevention & Problem Solving Board.
Enhanced Rights
- Training and Learning: Ongoing training ensures officers correctly identify and record enhanced rights on Athena. Data will be broken down by team to address any gaps.
- Data Recording: It is challenging to report on whether officers complete required tasks within 24 hours due to current data recording methods. The force aims to improve accuracy by identifying victims entitled to enhanced rights at the point of crime recording, with re-evaluation by the officer in charge (OIC) as investigations progress.
BVCS (Bedfordshire Victim Care Service)
- Referral Rates: Referrals to BVCS have been dropping monthly. Efforts in June 2024 increased referrals from 14.7% to 19.6%, but the rate has since declined to 16.7%.
- Challenges: The main issue is that officers do not fully understand the role of BVCS and how to refer victims. A review of referrals, along with training and support, is underway to increase the uptake of support services. Performance will be closely monitored, with referrals broken down by team to identify opportunities for improvement.
- Victim Engagement Officers: The force is working to highlight the vital role of Victim Engagement Officers. Although this is not currently reported, efforts are being made to ensure their contributions are captured and showcased.
Right 12: To make a complaint about your rights not being met
- Complaints Data: Information is held within the CRT (complaints system) and transferred to PowerBI. Due to the sensitive nature of complaints, data is restricted. Between January 2024 and January 2025, 80 complaints were made regarding Right 6, where victims were not updated about their investigations.
b) Rights in Transition/Development
- Right 3: To be provided with information when reporting a crime
- Current Status: Not accurately monitored. Changes are being made to improve performance, including a new Crime Bureau Template and GOODSAM messaging. Officers will use the "Initial Victim Letter Sent" log on Athena to ensure compliance.
- Right 5: To be provided with information about compensation
- Current Status: Not currently monitored. Reporting will start on the CICA element, but other compensation claims are difficult to identify.
- Right 6: To be provided with information around investigations and prosecutions
- Current Status: Monitored, but data collection is challenging due to recording methods. Moving towards a standardized process using mandatory VCOP drop-downs on Athena for better accuracy. This right is also included in the investigation survey for direct victim feedback.
- Right 7: To make a Victim Personal Statement (VPS)
- Current Status: Monitored on the offer of a VPS on Athena Crime and Athena Case. Standardization process being implemented to improve data collection and monitoring of VPS offers and uptake.
- Right 8: To be given information around the trial, trial process, and your role as a witness & Right 9: To be given information about the outcome of the case and any appeals
- Current Status: Information provided by WCU, but extraction is difficult due to WMS restrictions. WCU is exploring the use of Athena Case as an alternative. Current monitoring involves dip sampling, which is resource-intensive.
- Right 11: To be given information about the offender following a conviction
- Current Status: WCU holds information on referrals to the Victim Contact Scheme. Discussions are ongoing about extracting this information for PowerBI. The second part of this right, relevant to probation, will not be reported.
c) Rights not Monitored
- Right 10: To be paid expenses and have property returned
- Current Status: Not monitored on PowerBI. Expense claims from CPS cannot be reported, and property return data is difficult to differentiate between victim and other property.
d) Tracking & Improving Performance
Bedfordshire Police are using PowerBI to track performance related to the Victims' Code. The data will be reviewed by the Force Performance Board to identify areas for improvement. Actions will be set for specific business areas and monitored through the RAID system. The tactical lead will conduct monthly dip samples to monitor performance, and findings will be presented at various boards for executive awareness. To encourage compliance, posters, leaflets, and QR code cards linking to the Victims' Code website have been distributed across the force.
- The Victims' Voice
Listening to and understanding victims is crucial for decision-making and providing appropriate support. This helps build trust, reduce victimization, and increase support for prosecutions. Bedfordshire Police gather victim feedback through several mechanisms:
- Survivors Voice: This initiative allows victims to speak directly to officers about their experiences and the police response. Currently focused on domestic abuse, it is expanding to include victims of serious sexual offenses and child victims. Feedback from these sessions is used to improve police practices.
- Listening Circles: These sessions provide a safe space for community members to discuss issues impacting them. Recent topics include misogynoir and its effects on black female officers. Recommendations from these sessions are reviewed and potentially embedded within the organization.
- Surveying Victims of Crime: Bedfordshire Police conduct surveys with all crime victims in three ways:
- Email and SMS Surveys: For non-high harm crimes, focusing on initial attendance and investigation.
- Telephone Surveys: Conducted by Victim Support for high harm crimes, including domestic abuse, stalking, and RASSO. These surveys combine initial attendance and investigation questions.
The results of these surveys are discussed at the Force Victim Board and the Performance Board to shape how the force supports its victims.
d. Current Survey Themes & Trends
All data starting from 04/11/24
Overall positive Initial Attendance responses = 80 (61.5%)
Overall positive Investigation responses = 87 (61.7%)
Source – GOVMETRIC Initial attendance & Investigation Surveys
Survey Results
- Initial Response Surveys: Out of 130 surveys, 80 were positive (61.5%).
- Investigation Surveys: Out of 141 surveys, 87 were positive (61.7%), a 10% increase from early December.
Response Type
- Initial Contact/Attendance: High satisfaction, with over 90% satisfied with initial call taker professionalism.
- Victims' Code (Initial Attendance Survey): Feeling taken seriously has the biggest impact on dissatisfaction. Those who disagreed with this were 7 times more likely to be very dissatisfied.
- Officer/Policing (Investigation Survey): Satisfaction rates are 50-60%. Concerns are highest for "Trust and Confidence" and "Confident to Report Crime."
- Victims' Code (Investigation): Issues with making and using personal statements, with only 42% agreeing with the statement.
- Terms of Reference
Vision
To improve the quality and level of service given to victims and witnesses by Bedfordshire Police.
- Strategic Aim
- Provide the best service to victims while complying with legislative requirements.
- Drive internal performance and hold business areas accountable.
- Maximize partnership working opportunities.
- Share good practices and changes across the organization.
- Monitor progress, risks, and issues monthly in the Force Victim Board.
- Deliverables
- Create a performance framework for the Victims’ Code.
- Enable victims to provide feedback on their experience.
- Listen to victim and witness testimonials through Survivors Voice and Listening Circles.
- Work with regional and national partners to amend processes and policies.
- Provide training, support, and guidance to officers and staff.
- Foster closer partnership working through VWEB.
- Govern victim and witness service provision through the Force Victim Board.
- Support work as part of Op Soteria Pillar 3.
Projected Aims Over the Next 12 Months
- Update the Victim Care Policy.
- Standardize processes on Athena for consistency.
- Improve victim needs assessments.
- Enhance victim contact and communication throughout investigations.
- Invest in good working relationships with partners.
- Ensure compliance with the Victims' Code.
- Maintain a robust complaints system for dissatisfied victims.
c) Policing Reforms to Enhance the Victim Journey
Recent changes in policing aim to make the criminal justice system more victim-centric, improving the victim experience and building greater trust and confidence within communities. Legislative changes, such as the Victim & Prisoners Act 2024 and Domestic Abuse Act 2021, support these reforms. While cultural and behavioural changes take time, training and support for officers will help improve the victim journey. Additional initiatives include:
- Access to Support Services: Bedfordshire Victim Care Service (BVCS) reviews victims' needs and refers them to specialist services. However, it is underutilized due to officers' lack of awareness. Educating and encouraging officers to complete referrals is vital for victim welfare.
- Trauma-Informed Training: Training officers to understand the psychological impact of crimes like domestic or sexual abuse will improve their response to vulnerable victims, providing a more personalized service.
- Introducing a Victims Portal: To keep victims informed, a portal will provide key information about the criminal justice process and enable two-way interaction with officers. This will reduce demand on the control room and improve relationships between victims and officers.
- Victims Focus within Community Policing Strategy: Community officers, with their local knowledge, will play an active role in the victim strategy, bridging the gap between policing and hard-to-reach victims. This will encourage crime reporting and increase trust and confidence in the police.
- Standardized Process to Improve Data Accuracy: Standardizing how officers record information on Athena will improve data accuracy and performance monitoring, leading to better focus on areas needing improvement.
Supporting victims of crime requires collaboration across the force and the use of innovative technology and techniques. This will enhance the effectiveness and fairness of policing, instilling trust and confidence, improving outcomes, and contributing to safer communities.
PERFORMANCE AND GOVERNANCE BOARD
Monday 27 January 2025
Agenda
Present:
John Tizard, Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC)
Trevor Rodenhurst, Chief Constable – Police Service (CC)
In Attendance:
Phil Wells, Chief Finance Officer – Police Service/OPCC (PW)
Dan Vajzovic, Deputy Chief Constable – Police Service (DV)
John Murphy, Assistant Chief Constable – Police Service (JM)
Adam Ball, Assistant Chief Constable – Eastern Regional Special Operations Unit (AB)
Ian Simmons, Detective Chief Superintendent – Joint Protective Services (IS)
Sharn Basra, Chief Executive – OPCC (SB)
Lara Lewis, Staff Officer – PCC (LL)
Emma Punter, Staff Officer (EP)
Katie Beaumont, Head of Governance and Transparency (KB)
Item 1: Welcome, Minutes of meeting held and for agreement and matters arising
PCC welcomed everyone to meeting.
Apologies from ACC Karena Thomas.
Minutes from previous meeting were agreed.
Item 2: Action Log
Outstanding actions from previous meeting were agreed as completed.
Information document
Information document agreed as ready for publication. PCC noted that future documents will be more aligned to the police and crime plan missions, keeping those that are a statutory requirement.
Victim satisfaction survey
PCC noted the new victim satisfaction survey is now live.
PCC raised questions regarding victim satisfaction and asked about progress in understanding victim dissatisfaction.
JM - The service has introduced a new victim satisfaction survey and has a dedicated Inspector leading the area of work.
PCC asks what feedback is being received about the service victims receive, and what the data is being used for?
JM – Dedicated teams are pushing the use of the feedback survey. There will be a report presented on this next month. There is some dissatisfaction with the Patrol function, where there is a focus on upskilling officers and training first line leaders, recognising that there is a lot of demand carried by this function.
It was agreed progress will be subject to a spotlight feature in February under the Victims Mission.
Item 4: Scheme of Governance
Revised scheme of governance was presented. The only significant change being that the PCC can delegate responsibility for dealing with Pension Forfeiture cases (stage 1) to OPCC CEO. CEO will declare any conflicts of interest.
The scheme was agreed, and an action was taken for the Scheme of Governance to be published on OPCC Website.
Item 5: 3.1 Bedfordshire Police crime performance
JM presented report on Bedfordshire Police performance, covering highlights from Patrol and responding to the public, robbery and burglary, serious violence and homicide, and intelligence.
He highlighted:
• Over 90% of 999 calls are answered in the Force Control Room within 10 seconds.
• The average wait time for a response to 101 calls is under 4 minutes, with priority 101 calls being answered within 1 minute 45 seconds.
• Recorded crime for shoplifting, rape and serious sexual offences has increased. These are all crimes that the police have actively been encouraging the public to report on so this is a positive.
• The long-term trend for overall solved crime rate is showing a slow upwards trajectory which is better than short sharp spikes that are not sustainable.
• Outstanding suspects - decrease of 105 in December and have introduced a new which has gone live this week with expected good results. Have now got past big spike seen in the summer months.
• Bedfordshire Police is driving down response times to attend robberies, and a Detective Sargent now reviews all files to ensure no opportunities are being missed.
• There was a 20% reduction in recorded residential burglaries this quarter compared to the previous year. This year there was no seasonal spike due to a combination of factors, including prevention work and work on prolific offenders.
• In 2024 Bedfordshire Police recorded 2 more homicides than in 2023, but equal to number in 2022. Would not currently be considered an outlier nationally. There were reductions in both the severity and volume of knife crime incidents towards the end of last year.
• Bedfordshire Police is one of the leading forces for disruptions, seizing drugs and safeguarding children and adults.
PCC thanked JM for the report and asked how Bedfordshire Police are seeking to improve public understanding of the improvements in response times to 101 calls, to encourage the public to utilise this service further.
The PCC commented that he is still told about long waiting times in answering 101, which dissuades the public from using this facility and that this should be communicated better with the public.
The CC understands the need to tackle this as 101 is now much more effective. The average time to arrive at immediate graded incidents remains at around 12 minutes. However efforts to drive up consistency of response times will take time due to the number of drivers in the workforce, amongst other factors.
The PCC reported his concerns regarding the caseload of the RASSO Team following a meeting with them.
JM confirmed there has been an increase in victims reporting multiple offences.
PCC asked if the Patrol function is experiencing an effective rotation of training and turnover?
CC – Trend shows there will be increased driver numbers with a forecast for a steady growth in capacity overtime. Slow progress but moving in right direction.
PCC asked if the Chief Constable is confident that the trajectory for solved crime rate is likely to continue upwards.
CC – There is still improvement to be made in some areas, so it is difficult to say. Benchmarking data recording against other forces to ensure it is being calculated consistently. Resources are stretched but making investments in innovation to increase productivity.
PCC asked if there are plans to extend the remit of the dedicated burglary unit – Operation Maze - to include robberies?
CC - this is something that has been looked at however robbery is core business for the CID and front line responders. The is considerable scrutiny at the moment on our response to personal robbery.
PCC asked if there is anything OPCC might be able to assist with in terms of prevention of burglaries and robberies?
CC – Bedfordshire Police are currently recording roughly one offence per day, but these differ in location and items stolen. Bedfordshire Police remain completely focussed on driving this down, as one a day is too many. Many offences are related to drugs, and highlighted that he had invested in a drugs focus desk to enhance the response to arrested for drugs trafficking offences.
PCC asked how it is being communicated to the public that Bedfordshire is safe, despite the serious incidents in January.
CC – 2 of the 4 homicides that occurred in January were very sad and rare circumstances that could arguably have occurred in any location. We are looking at how to better monitor signs and patterns. Stakeholders and partners are highly supportive of our work, and this is demonstrated by the PCC’s mission boards. They are aware that police are doubling our efforts in Bedford town centre for example.
PCC noted that Patrol caseloads have decreased, the solved crime rate has also declined but response times have not improved. He asked when CC thinks this will improve.
CC – More work is being done to make improvements and this will be reported at a future meeting of the board. However, this is not an overnight fix as ultimately is about building experience and capacity.
PCC observed the north of the county is more effective in managing caseload.
CC – There is less complex demand so more time to investigate, and some teams are performing better than others with the same resource hence our focus on leadership as this will drive performance and consistency. Now looking at this to get a consistent performance.
PCC asked if the newly available data with regards to disparity is being used effectively.
CC – There is disparity evident in most crime types recorded and work is being undertaken lead by of Director for Legitimacy with other stakeholders, to understand the true picture of disparity in the system. The intention is to eliminate, reduce or explain all areas of disparity.
It was agreed that this would be returned to for further discussion as part of the Spotlight report on Excellence. PCC added that many partners attended the Prevention mission board, and they have collected data around deprivation in Bedfordshire.
PCC noted customer support report.
A further report on the performance of the Patrol team was requested for presentation at the Spotlight Board for local policing.
Item 4: 4.1 Risk (Change in risk OPCC and Force)
The Joint Audit Committee completed a full review of risk registers last month and were satisfied with them.
Item 5: 5.1 Collaboration updates
IS presented report on Joint Protective Services, covering highlights including armed policing, roads policing, dog unit, major crime and others.
He highlighted:
• Bedfordshire has more presence from armed policing unit out of the three policing areas.
• The roads policing unit carried out over 3500 drink-drive stops over Christmas period.
• There are currently 51 police vehicles off the road.
• There is a delay in being able to get fully licensed and accredited dogs into the dog unit, as well as a continued concern around kennelling dangerous dogs and the drain on funding this incurs. This is a national issue, and funding is being made available gradually. So far Bedfordshire Police have spent £73k on kennelling dangerous dogs.
• Major Crime Unit have had positive court results and are exceptionally busy in Bedfordshire in terms of live work and trials. Absolute peak of demand but 95% detection rate in terms of homicide and 87% for all crimes. 92% conviction rate for homicide and 91% for all crime.
PCC thanked IS for the detailed report and asked why there are so many vehicles off the road in the roads policing unit? Is the specification of vehicle required becoming detrimental to the effectiveness of the service?
CC – there needs to be a national conversation on the police requirement on the specification and procurement of vehicles. Police driver behaviour is improving with fewer avoidable collisions. But sometimes they have to use vehicle tactical contact options to protect the public. Vehicles are becoming more advanced with more technology but this means that when they are damaged the repairs take longer and cost more. There is an ongoing review of the BCH fleet requirements.
PCC asked why the attendance by the Dog Unit was low in 2024/25.
CC – This is due to having fewer dogs deployable over the course of the previous year, for the reasons outlined in the report.
PCC asked how close Major Crime Unit’s workload is to reaching capacity? What are the possible implications on Bedfordshire Police?
CC – Bedfordshire is the lead force for MCU and this is monitored very carefully and closely. The MCU are stretched due to recent demand on this capability across the 3 forces and at the moment due to these pressures in the event of new cases in the near future the 3 forces may have to support MCU with local resources. There are regular honest conversations and flexibility across the three forces.
Eastern Region Serious Organised Crime (ERSOU) update
AB presented report on performance in the Eastern Regional Special Operations Unit, following on from the executive update given at the ERSOU board in
December which the PCC attended.
• Great working relationship with Bedfordshire teams continues, working together to tackle serious organised crime and organised crime group networks.
• The volume of disruptions at the end of last year tripled with impressive results. 54 major disruptions in Bedfordshire.
• Lots of prevention work ongoing including in Clear, Hold, Build sites where partnership working is ongoing.
• Currently 26 live operations in the Regional Organised Crime Unit in Bedfordshire.
• Operation Cyclone - Over 100 firearms recovered. Longest ever sentence - 30 years 6 months and entire OCG got over 70 years. National communication piece
• Financial Investigator secured £132k cash forfeiture in one operation.
• Op Topaz - Class A OCG convicted 18 months ago secured cash forfeiture
• Op Recursive - 7 guilty with sentencing in February for supply of Class A drugs
• Op Lioness - 6 years 9 months for supply class A
PCC thanked AB for report. The work done to disrupt is really impressive and the relationship is clearly working well between Bedfordshire Police and ERSOU.
PCC said he would like to have a further discussion at the board about Prevent when the outcome of the government’s review is available.
AB - ERSOU are working both regionally and nationally to share updates and work collectively, and are well positioned to be able to respond at pace to be able to respond to the centre. The DCC will be tasking each police service to review repeat referrals in light of Southport learning.
DCC - Now seeing a number of these cases having an absence of ideology.
Item 6: 6.1 Chief Constable Complaints
No Chief Constable complaints to report.
Nothing to report relating to reviews.
Item 7: Quarterly Reporting Efficiency
The PCC thanked the Chief Finance Officer, the Chief Constable and all staff that had made the work on the budget possible. He further referred to the importance of the Priority Based Budgeting process.
PCC has had opportunities to discuss the budget with both the Chief Constable and Chief Finance Officer at length.
PW presented the proposed revenue budget for 2025/26.
PCC approved the budget and will be recommending a precept increase of £14 for Band D to the Police and Crime Panel on 4 February 2025.
PCC said his expectation would be that the £930k allocated by the Home Office would result in an increase in police officers and PCSOs in the local community policing teams.
CC said he awaits clarification of the terms and conditions associated with this grant to be in a position to determine how to use the grant and allocate resources.
The PCC observed that it was not about police numbers alone and about activity.
PCC asked for formal assurance that a reduction in overall staff establishment numbers through the Priority Based Budgeting process will not diminish the ability to deliver an effective service.
CC – The process ensures that there will be the most minimal impact on service.
PCC is also reassured from other conversations with the Chief.
PCC asked if, in the medium term, the CC and ACO are comfortable that a prudent use of reserves is being taken?
PW- confident in approach for 25/26, but need to cut back some expenditure for this current year to eliminate the need to use further reserves. But confident that further reviews of BCH/ERSOU budgets that are being undertaken over the next few months, will result in a reduced requirement to use reserves for 2026/27.
PCC asked if overtime spend will be reviewed.
CC – There are many reasons to use overtime such as specific operation surges, scene guards, and sometimes the time taken to provide cases to CPS when decisions are needed whilst prisoners are in custody. There will always be a need for some use of overtime, but leadership oversight is key to making the best use of this and this will be a focus for leaders this coming year.
CC - Incredible amount of work gone into PBB to put Bedfordshire Police in a good position considering the difficulties faced by funding.
PCC thanks the CFO and CC for the work carried out on the budgeting process, confirms he approves budget and notes the report on the capital programme.
Item 8: PEEL report by HMICFRS
The PCC requested that the CC bring forward a report on a quarterly basis to the Board on his plans for addressing the findings in the HMICFRS report.
Item 9: Capital programme
PW presented the report which was noted.
Item 10: Treasury management
PW presented the report which was noted.
AOB
None.
PERFORMANCE AND GOVERNANCE BOARD
THURSDAY 19 DECEMBER 2024
Present:
John Tizard, Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC)
Trevor Rodenhurst, Chief Constable – Police Service (CC)
In Attendance:
Phil Wells, Chief Finance Officer – Police Service/OPCC (PW)
Dan Vajzovic, Deputy Chief Constable – Police Service (DV)
Katie Beaumont, Head of Governance and Transparency OPCC (KB)
Sharn Basra, Chief Executive – OPCC (SB)
Lara Lewis, Staff Officer – PCC (LL)
Fiona Dawson, Staff Officer – CC (FD)
Sharn Basra, Chief Executive – OPCC (SB)
Lara Lewis, Staff Officer – PCC (LL)
Item 1: Welcome and Apologies
PCC opened the meeting and welcomed the attendees.
Apologies were received from ACC John Murphy
Item 2: Information report
The report was received and approved for publication. It was resolved that future versions of these reports would be designed to be consistent with the Police and Crime Plan and its missions.
Item 2 Spotlight Report – Excellence Mission
Race Action Plan - PW presented the report and highlighted the importance for building public trust and confidence. He reported that the National Police Race Action Plan Team led by T/DAC Alison Heydari had recently visited Bedfordshire Police and had been complimentary about progress being made PCC asked that his thanks to be passed to the team led by Kimberley Lamb (Legitimacy and Public Service Director).
PCC said that this was good but he wished to understand more about the impact of Plan’s implementation on the public especially the black communities in Bedfordshire. He noted that there were disparities in areas such as stop and search and use of force. He asked for further reports to P&G Board on action being taken to address these disparities.
He also requested more data and an action plan in respect of the impact of crime on black and other communities. He noted that progress is being made in recruiting black officers but asked for further progress reports. CC notes that all communities need to have trust and confidence in their police service. One means of addressing this will be to co-produce a framework in order to drive recruitment and trust and confidence. PW reported on the establishment of a Police Legitimacy Board within the police service. It was planned that this would initially focus on the development and implementation of the Police Race Action Plan.
PCC welcomed this but said he would expect this Board to focus on wider legitimacy and ethical issues for policing. He asked for a further report on this. He stated that enhancing legitimacy is core to the Police and Crime Plan and his approach as PCC. DV presented report on Bedfordshire Police’s performance in terms of Use of Force.
He said that:
• this is now being led by an experienced Superintendent who had previously led significant improvements in the use and practice of stop and search. His mandate was to do the same in respect of the use of force where considerable improvement is required.
• work is being undertaken to improve the collection and management of the data
• the police service is assessing where any disproportionality lies, what the explanations for these are and how to both explain and address this
• further improvements in the governance are needed and he would report to P&G Board on progress on this
• he would not characterise Bedfordshire as a force that is using force unnecessarily, but the control measures and data capture are not where they should be.
• analysis is being done of which officers and teams are using force the most so that action can be taken if necessary – for example training, better supervision, etc. but he stressed that in some areas of policing one would expect a greater need to use force than in others
• regular reviews of videos from born worn cameras are undertaken by senior officers and the community scrutiny panel managed by the OPCC.
PCC thanked DV for report and asked about how well the police service are utilising the independent community governance of Use of Force that is run by the OPCC, observing that the panel will be strengthened and its effectiveness evaluated. PCC noted that the use of force across different communities in the county was not proportionate. There are disparities and these related to the previous discussion on race action. He said that more was required to understand and address these disparities.
PCC asked if line managers (sergeants and inspectors and senior offices receive regular reports on Use of Force for example at the end of each shift CC responded by saying that this did not happen enough and this is one reason why he is investing in middle management training and development. PCC observed that the use of body worn video and sound recordings is important for ensuring effective governance and management of the use of force, and in turn in building public confidence but more was required to scrutinise and ensure the effective and appropriate use of force. He required a further report to the P&G Board in six months’ time.
Item 4 Spotlight Report – Local Policing – Hate Crime
DV presented the spotlight report on local policing, which included Hate Crime. He said that Bedfordshire is a diverse county, and that every community in the county must be safe and feel safe, and not be subject to hate crime. Hate crime is a signal crime and we now have supervision centrally, but all teams are responsible for it. PCC observed improvement in Hate Crime performance, since intervention following an increased level of reporting in August and poor outcomes in September. DV has been monitoring the detection rate, with a slow upward trend and a drop off in the summer which has been dealt with.
PCC observed that the Patrol team have been carrying a large proportion of hate crime cases (153 reports that equates to 67%) and a large number (61) were still not resolved after 100 days. There were also 40 outstanding suspects. The PCC asked if they have the capacity and expertise to deal with this and whether the Community Policing Teams would be better placed.
DV said he was happy they were adopting the right allocation policy, but there is some training going on with supervisors to understand prioritising aggravated offences. They would continue to review the approach to ensure the right teams are investigating the right crime. CC made comment in relation to previous arrangements when a dedicated team was in place, but changes had to be made to support front line policing. This would again be subject to future review.
PCC noted that only 40% of hate crimes where the victim was a Police Officer were solved and had expected this to have been higher. DV stated the Head of Patrol was leading further work on the response to tackling assaults against officers, ensuring we provide quality support. PCC said he was impressed by the recent “No place for hate” campaign PCC asked for reassurance that any linked crimes or those linked to hate are reviewed by supervisors.
Neighbourhood crime
DV presented report on neighbourhood crime. Neighbourhood crime covers a wide range of offences including robbery. He reported that 46 personal robberies were recorded in November. Improvements must be made in this area. He also reported that more training to improve investigation skills is in place.
CC said he is exploring new ways to improve solve rates and target repeat offenders. PCC asked how the volume of neighbourhood crime is split by different areas of Bedfordshire – e.g. urban and rural. CC said that the previous gap between the north and the south of the county is closing.
Patrol
DV presented report on the performance of the Patrol function. He reported that additional resources are needed as there are many competing demands.
He said that
• the new ‘Responding to the Public’ working group is led himself as the DCC
• this group is evaluating how to balance responding to calls with the ability to get to them
• Some redeployment of staff is being modelled for its potential to function well without affecting performance, so we will redeploy 2x officers back into patrol
• The most important target is that of equitable service, so we aim for a target of attending immediate incidents in 15 minutes across the whole county.
• We are making a slight tweak to the shift pattern in terms of the staggered start/ finish times to better align resources to demand and this should improve our attendance times
PCC asked when he will see a tangible improvement in response times. DV said this is hard to answer as not simple and no quick/easy solutions. We have the performance data and are modelling it with various suggestions, but this is mainly about leadership. Many officers are younger and more inexperienced, so they are taking part in front line leadership courses which are part of a wider cultural change programme.
CC has observed that Patrol teams that we well-led are responding most effectively. PCC asked about what impact the Right Care Right Person scheme has had. DV said the actual impact is small as partners need to improve their waiting times. The average waiting time for an ambulance in Bedfordshire is 2 hours and 27 minutes. Police officers are often sat waiting with someone for medical help who is not in need of police support.
CC states whilst great progress has been made on Right Care Right Person in collaboration with partners we still not have been able to agree a maximum handover time at the county’s mental health suite. He is considering giving a deadline as on occasions officers are spending far to long waiting to handover individuals who have been sectioned under sec 136. A 60 minute service level agreement must in the CC’s view be achievable. PCC can assist in this through his convening powers if needed. PCC asked about what improvements are being made to patrol cars in terms of technology used.
CC said that the exec had already agreed that in car innovation to deliver effective information to officers whilst on route to an incident was a priority for this years innovation effort. PCC noted the success of the Patrol Hub in the Force Control Room and recognised the work they are doing. CC noted that their performance is improving each month in terms of solving crimes. An interim report on improvements made in Patrol was agreed to be
presented at Performance and Governance Board in March 2025.
Item 4 - Risks
PW presented the report. He noted that the biggest risk is government funding if the special grants – Boston and Costello – are not continued. It was also noted that other additional risks include a failure to reach agreement on the savings required from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire (BCH) collaboration. CC explained that he was working with the other CCs to resolve this. The PCC said that he would intervene if necessary with this PCC colleagues. PCC noted risk around the reduction of community safety activity in Central Bedfordshire Council and the impact this could have on the police. This, along with new government directions could bring unforeseen pressure onto the police service day-to-day business and prevention activities. This must be a primary focus for PCC and CC who were due to meet the Leader and CEO at CBC on 23 December. PCC identified there are risks associated with funding and performance issues across the public sector partners and especially across the criminal justice system. He was going to use the Criminal Justice Board to raise these challenges and risks and seek system change to address them.
Item 5 - Finance Report – 25/26 Budget
PW presented the report
He said that:
• the government’s provisional financial settlement has resulted in a 6.1% increase in core grant but the special grants which represent 5% of the total budget would not be known until later in January
• the PCC and CC had met the Policing Minister at the Home Office to make the case for these grants and would raise this again when she visits Bedfordshire Police day after this Board meeting
• the PBB process is near completion
• PCC would be increasing the police precept in line with the government cap (the PCC said that this was his plan though he is currently consulting on this)
• the initial projection is that there is a further £2.5-.2.8. gap top close
• the budget assumes a 2.83% pay increase in line with the government’s advice to the pay review body but if there is a higher increase there will need to be budget adjustments in other budget lines
• more information on the Neighbourhood Policing grant is awaited CC and PCC said the need is to focus more on productivity, not efficiency when the capital and revenue budgets are considered. PCC said that he would require a report from the CC in early January on the budget proposals for 2025/26. This report should include
• identification of significant changes
• an impact assessment of the changes and impact on staffing
• risk analysis of these changes and the wider budget provision
• an assessment of how the proposed budget aligns with the Police and Crime Plan
Item 6 - Complaints
No complaints to the Chief Constable were reported.
AOB
DCC provided update on firearms licensing administration by BCH. He reported:
• in February 2025, there will be an inaugural IAG meeting for firearms licensing with representation from stakeholders. They can provide regular feedback directly
• it is planned to introduce a new case management system
• the lead officer in BCH is setting expectations around performance management
PCC said that he and the Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire PCCs has raised this issue at the BCH Strategic Alliance Board last month. He said that the three PCCs had set high expectations for improvements in performance.
PCC welcomed the government’s decision to increase firearms licence applications and renewal charges in line with actual costs.
Report title Use of Force Excellence Report
Report for OPCC Performance & Governance Board December 2024
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Introduction & Purpose
This strategic report has been prepared to support an update to the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner around the excellence pillar of the PCC police and crime plan. This briefing update follows an original submission from the then Strategic lead for use of force – Supt Hob Hoque, and follows the HMICFRS PEEL inspection. The report will seek to answer the following key questions in relation to use of force activity across Bedfordshire to demonstrate the effectiveness and legitimacy of use of force across Bedfordshire;
- How do we measure outcomes and parity for Use of Force?
- What is the current position, are we improving in this area compared with previous periods?
- What is being done internally to improve awareness around appropriate Use of Force? How is this communicated to the community for their views and feedback?
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What does Use of Force Reporting Cover?
Since 2018 all 43 Home office Police forces in England and Wales have been required to submit an annual data return relating to use of force. This followed a review completed by former Chief Constable David Shaw on behalf of the then Home Secretary in 2014 relating to what data should be recorded and published in relation to use of force. The following criteria was set as part of the annual data return;
- A use of force represents one officers use of force on one person.
- One report could include multiple tactics, reasons for using force, impact factors, locations, and outcomes.
- A us of force is where a police officer uses any of the following force tactics on a single individual;
Restraint tactics
- handcuffing (compliant or non-compliant)
- limb and or body restraints
- ground restraint
Unarmed skills
- escorting individuals
- distraction strikes with hands and feet
- pressure point and joint locks
Use of other equipment
- baton (including where it was drawn but not used)
- irritant spray (including where it was drawn but not used)
- spit and bite guard
- shield (for example, individual struck or pushed with a shield)
Less lethal weapons
- conducted energy device (CED, for example Taser ®), including where it was discharged (direct contact mode, fired, angled drive-stun) or not discharged (drawn, aimed, red-dot, arced)
- attenuating energy projectile (AEP) (including whether it was drawn but not used, or used)
Firearms
- this refers to the use of conventional firearms, including where the firearm was aimed or fired
Other
- use of dogs (including where a dog was deployed but did not come into contact with (for example, bite) the individual)
- other and or improvised
To the year ending 31st March 2023 the force had recorded 6621 use of force records, this was an 8.3% increase from the previous reporting year. In the past rolling 12 months a total of 7231 use of force reports have been submitted. The use of force across Bedfordshire is tracked through a PowerBi platform that provides data covering the following key areas;
- Reason use of force used.
- Technique(s) used, and effectiveness of technique
- Impact factors
- Subject and repeat subject information
- Officer information including type of duty they were performing, whether they were single crewed, whether officer sustained an injury
- Proportionality rates relating to ethnicity, gender, age for all types of use of force
- Body worn video compliance rates
- Profile of day and time force utilised.
- Top officers for recording use of force
- Correlation between use of force recording and arrest rates
- Outcomes linked to use of force
Below is an example of the PowerBi platform with the reason for use of force page;
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HMICFRS Inspection
HMICFRS conducted a PEEL assessment with Bedfordshire Police during 2024. This inspection included a review of Bedfordshire Polices use of Police powers and treating the public fairly and respectfully. Included within this section of the inspection was a review of the force approach to use of force. The HMICFRS acknowledged that the force does have an internal and external scrutiny panel which is good practice, but also noted that the panels review the same use of force incidents which limits the volume of records subject of scrutiny.
The HMICFRS report, when published may highlight specific areas for improvement which can be addressed within the next report produced on this topic.
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New approach to Use of Force scrutiny and oversight
Supt 361 Ian Taylor appointed as force strategic lead for use of force, with CI Mike Chand tactical lead. The following actions have been taken since this
- A use of force strategy has been developed to cover the period 2024-2026.
- Establishment of a monthly internal use of force scrutiny meeting, chaired by the tactical lead Chief Inspector Mike Chand. This meeting focuses on the following key areas;
- Understanding levels of disproportionality where these exist, understanding the operational context, and commissioning deep dive reviews where required to assess whether this is proportionate, justified, and necessary.
- Understand and review use of force on juveniles, particularly those who are aged 12 or under.
- Continually review the officers that use the most force to ensure this is proportionate and necessary in the circumstances, undertaking deep dive reviews where required. It will also be important to understand the ethnicity of those subject of use of force.
- To monitor those officers on front facing teams who do not submit any use of force submissions (this may be because they aren’t submitting).
- Monitor the compliance rates for use of force submissions in comparison to arrest rates.
- Monitor use of force within custody setting given the impact of the Baird report relating to GMP.
- This meeting will review use of force records including BWV based upon analysis of data, to identify areas where reviews are required.
- The introduction of a mandatory use of force BWV review process for supervisors. This is captured on MS forms so that there is a central point that all reviews are gathered to ensure wider organisational learning, and understanding of use of force compliance across Bedfordshire.
Since this was introduced around 4 weeks ago, a total of 32 x supervisory reviews have been recorded on MS forms.
- Employee ideas solution submitted relating to use of artificial intelligence to scrutinise custody records and storm incident logs to identify where use of force is mentioned, cross referencing to use of force records, and where no use of force record is found automating a process to request that the officer completes a use of force record. Where this is not completed in a timely way then this would be escalated to a supervisor.
- Posters being placed in custody reminding officers to complete use of force forms where force has been used including compliant handcuffing, in addition custody sergeants will remind officers to complete use of force forms where a use of force is mentioned at point of booking in procedure.
- Subject matter expert review process being introduced. This will see all use of force of certain categories reviewed by subject matter experts. For example Taser use will be reviewed by Taser training department, Baton strike, PAVA, and spit hood use will be reviewed by officer safety trainers. To introduce independent scrutiny these reviews will be completed by other forces including Cambs, Herts, and Essex.
- Custody Inspectors dip sampling process included now, ensuring that there is improvised governance and oversight in relation to use of force within a custody setting.
- PowerBi platform launched and made available to all supervisors, this will enable them to track use of force by individual officers within their teams, with a request that this forms part of their performance reviews with staff to ascertain whether there are any training needs, areas of concern, or incidents of good practice.
- Quarterly strategic use of police powers meeting established which provides a strategic force meeting for S163 stops, use of force, and stop and search progress to be monitored.
- Improving data sharing with the community scrutiny panel, leading to improved scrutiny of use of force based on analysis of data to identify trends and patterns that the community are concerned about.
- BWV pre-record functionality has been activated on all BWV cameras across BCH, this ensures that the preceding 2 minute of footage is recorded once an officer presses record on BWV. This will ensure spontaneous incidents requiring use of force where BWV is activated latterly, will capture the preceding footage improving oversight and scrutiny through the internal and community scrutiny panels.
- Mandatory use of force supervisor reviews for all use of force submissions are being introduced on Tu-Serv, it is expected that this will go live in February 2025.
The expected outcomes of the above actions and focus on use of force are as follows;
- Increased recording of use of force, giving confidence that use of force is being accurately recorded in Bedfordshire.
- Improved scrutiny of use of force by first line supervisors, ensuring that officers use of force is monitored, giving the force and communities of Bedfordshire confidence that use of force is used fairly and effectively. Where scrutiny identifies that this is not happening confidence that internal processes will ensure this is managed appropriately, and escalated to PSD where necessary.
- Improved internal governance and oversight of use of force seeking to identify trends and themes that will help inform wider organisational learning and future officer safety training.
- Improved force understanding of disproportionality, undertaking deep dive reviews where proportionality exists, seeking to explain this, and where it cannot be explained seeking to eliminate it.
The above screenshot from PowerBi demonstrates the current composite proportionality rates for ethnicity in Bedfordshire.
- Increased community scrutiny of use of force, amplified through a communication strategy, with the aim of increasing public trust and confidence in use of force. This will also ensure that the feedback from the community to the force is increased. At present the panel review approximately 24 x use of force every year. The aim is to increase membership of the panel through work with the OPCC to enable the volume of reviews to double during 2025, and towards 100 per year by the end of 2026.
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Recommendations and Future Steps
The following additional recommendations and next steps are listed for consideration by Force executive board to support the ongoing improvement work specific to use of force, and police powers more broadly;
- To appoint a Police officer / staff equivalent to undertake the role of operational support for police powers. At present the operational support for use of force is provided through the force community cohesion team. However this is a role that is provided in conjunction with the additional responsibilities within community cohesion, meaning that full support cannot always be provided.
The role would support the following;
- monitoring for compliance of police power reviews
- to complete deep dive reviews commissioned through internal police power boards
- the tracking of supervisory reviews for all police powers ensuring that trends and patterns are identified
- Providing administrative support to community panels for all police power panels, including selection of videos, collation and administering of feedback
- The planning and coordination of police powers CPD across the organisation
- Supporting engagement with Bedfordshire communities specific to police powers, to increase public awareness of police powers, and public rights, alongside promoting the work of the community scrutiny panels
- Supporting policy and process reviews for police powers
- To invest in a suitable AI interface that enables compliance of police powers specifically use of force and S163 recording to be tracked and assessed alongside other force systems including Athena custody, Storm, PNC, and partner systems such as mental health admissions. This would provide an automated process that would assess internal recording compliance, enabling non-compliance to be identified and escalated to officers and supervisors. This would improve data quality, and compliance enabling the force to truly understand its use of police powers, leading to improved scrutiny.
- To invest in a suitable AI interface that would support supervisory reviews, enabling AI to identify police power examples for enhanced review based on analysis of trends, including proportionality rates, use by individual offices and departments. Enabling the scrutiny of police powers to be more targeted and data driven, enabling the force to address any issues in an efficient and effective way, whilst promoting this to communities to increase public confidence.
- Digital policing to invest in a new police powers review dashboard that enables the scrutiny of police powers both internally and externally to be tracked through one portal. This would enable the force and community to view what scrutiny has occurred, which areas and demographics this has covered, enabling any gaps to be identified in support of recommendation 3, which would then enable targeting of reviews to provide enhanced accountability.
- Consideration of investing in a new digital application for recording police powers that streamlines recording process. The current recording method in particular for use of force is an extremely long process via the Tu-Serv platform, this creates additional bureaucracy for staff and could be a contributing factor to missed recording opportunities. The development of a new digital platform that could include some automation would create efficiencies and reduce administrative burden for officers.
Improving Policing for Black People in Bedfordshire (IPfBP)
Introduction
The Improving Policing for Black People in Bedfordshire (IPfBP) initiative is strategically designed to enhance trust, equity, and legitimacy within the community, focusing on addressing systemic barriers impacting Black individuals in Bedfordshire. The initiative is guided by four strategic pillars, each with designated leads responsible for driving change through targeted objectives and deliverables.
Strategic Pillars of Delivery
- Culture and Workforce
Strategic Lead: Michelle Leggetter, People and Workforce Manager
Focuses on fostering an inclusive workforce culture, improving representation, and supporting the development of underrepresented groups.
- Powers and Procedures
Strategic Lead: Ian Taylor, Superintendent Local Policing
Ensures the appropriate use of policing powers such as stop and search, with an emphasis on transparency and community engagement.
- Trust and Reconciliation
Strategic Lead: Rebecca Croft, Communications Manager
Aims to build trust through community engagement, effective communication, and reconciliation initiatives
- Safety and Victimisation
Strategic Lead: Jaki Whittred, Chief Superintendent Local Policing (TBC)
Addresses safety concerns and victimisation within Black communities, with an emphasis on data-driven solutions and victim support.
Existing areas of work, targeted areas for Improvement, feedback and considerations
HMIC Area for improvement (AFI)
|
HMIC Area for improvement (AFI) |
Details |
IPfBP Pillar |
Feedback Received via |
Force Lead |
Key Governance (Internal) |
|
Question 1 |
Improve how we collect equality data?
Consideration: Strengthen equality data collection methods to better inform decision-making and assess disproportionality |
Pillar 4 - Safety and Victimisation
NB. Also, Pillar 1- Culture and Workforce |
Force Exec Away Day
Culture Intelligence Training feedback
Force Intelligence Board
Disparity Data Report
Surveys – Women in The Shades survey
-CoP Black workforce survey DSG Survey
|
ACC John Murphy |
ü Force Performance Board
ü Force Victims Board
ü Data Management, Security & Compliance Board
ü IPfBP Board
ü Strategic Culture Board
|
|
Question 2 |
What is being done internally to improve awareness around appropriate Use of Force? How is this communicated to the community for their views and feedback?
Consideration: Increase transparency in the use of force, expand community feedback mechanisms, and develop training to reduce bias |
Pillar 2 - Powers and Procedures |
Use of Force and Stop and Search Independent Scrutiny Panel
Engagement, Trust and Confidence Board/Working Group
Victims Performance Board
|
Supt Ian Taylor |
ü Engagement, Trust and Confidence Board/Working Group
ü Force Victims Board
ü Missing Persons (Silver)
ü Force Performance Board
ü IPfBP Board
|
|
Question 9 |
Do more to support the development and career progression of people from under represented groups
Consideration: Enhance career progression opportunities and retention strategies for under represented groups.
|
Pillar 1 - Culture and Workforce |
Talent Network- Chaired by DCC
WoCiP BCH – Becoming Ready programme
OP Hendrickson - retention/PSD
Culture Intelligence Training feedback
|
DCC Dan Vajzovic |
ü Strategic Culture Board
ü Wellbeing, Inclusion, and Culture Board
ü People & Postings Board |
Evaluation Framework
Creation of a structured evaluation framework is under development to assess progress across all pillars. Developed using local and national feedback, including academic research.
The framework will include:
- Objectives and Deliverables: Clear, measurable goals aligned with each pillar.
- Governance Integration: Regular updates via key governance boards.
- Output and Outcome Measures: Both qualitative and quantitative metrics to evaluate success and impact.
Cultural Intelligence (CQ) Awareness Programmes:
Plans for the roll-out of continued CQ awareness programmes. The key themes from the seminars that have taken place since June 2023 are:
- Leadership – importance of first line leaders being CQ aware – These have been fed into Leadership training and new programmes have now started to be delivered to support supervisors and managers to improve their knowledge and confidence. Also, a bespoke CQ training programme targeting Inspectors and Chief Inspectors was co-designed with officers to support the force’s leadership training objective.
- Barriers to challenging behaviour – potential barriers to challenging – As above and we are reviewing how we deliver Upstander training.
- Team Bedfordshire – Need to work on how we ensure that Beds officers and staff across collaborated functions feel part of Bedfordshire.
- Inclusion / understanding difference – Feedback has been fed into culture reviews
- Other comments - Raised with CQ team after the sessions, some of these demonstrate why the CQ sessions have been needed, all are fed back and will form part of planning for the next phase.
- There is a lot of focus on race within the organisation, and this can create a divide between and within groups, several people have spoken asked if there can be more focus on LGBTQ+, religion, neurodiversity. How their political views may align and raising awareness for other protected characteristics that they feel often go forgotten.
- Wellbeing and anxiety within their teams, asking for guidance on managing relationships, particularly when these are not going well.
- Religious and political views and how they can express these safely within the force.
- Issues with accessing dyslexia assessments, and work placed adjustments.
- There is some positive work that has come from the sessions, the new custody block has been identified as an area where relationships between teams, line managers have improved due to the layout and visibility of the design.
- There has also been some positive examples where new staff have joined and they truly feel they can be themselves. Where they have been embraced and their innovative ideas explored.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Workforce Self-Assessment
An ongoing self-assessment initiative led by the DEI team evaluates 10 key workforce areas, including recruitment, leadership, and employee engagement.
Timeline:
- Stage 1 (Dec 2024): Initial data collection and commentary.
- Stage 2 (Dec 2024 - Jan 2025): Facilitated discussions to finalize assessments.
Proposed key initiatives planned for the next 12 months include:
- PRAP Evaluation Framework implementation
- Examine the latest version of Bedfordshire’s Disparity evaluation report
- Benchmarking - begin assessment fieldwork
- Community PRAP Independent Scrutiny Oversight Board recruitment
- Commence PRAP Community roadshow
- AWS – Innovation work, Trust, confidence and legitimacy
- Exploration of AI bias and facial recognition etc. in collaboration with the Strategic Business Analyst (Futures)
- Wider force training on Black history
- Distribution of 5,000 QR code cards for stop and search feedback
- Create PRAP Information videos for the intranet. Highlighting some of the IPfBP work
- CQ Training - start a new targeted phase of delivery in the New Year i.e. CQ Training seminars targeting patrol and control room staff
- Work with FCR to support their diverse recruitment drive
- Co-design RCRP - response trigger reporting
- Co-design Missing Team - response trigger reporting
- Partnership working with University of Bedfordshire - Race Equality Week on 5thFebruary 2025
Considerations for FEB
In order to drive forward the IPfBP agenda, the following recommendations are presented for the Force Executive Board’s (FEB) approval:
- Evaluation Framework Ratification: Approval of the proposed framework to formalize performance assessments
- 2. Futures Planning: Authorisation for the Legitimacy and Public Service team to explore data bias and other emerging challenges
- Outcome Assessment: Support for continued force-wide benchmarking and disparity evaluation to refine strategies and interventions
Conclusion
The Improving Policing for Black People in Bedfordshire agenda demonstrates a commitment to equity, trust, and legitimacy through targeted actions and strategic governance. With the implementation of the evaluation framework and planned initiatives, this force business area aims to achieve measurable improvements in workforce diversity, community trust, and operational transparency.
Report title Local Policing Spotlight (V1.4)
Report for OPCC Performance and Governance Board December 2024
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Purpose
This report has been produced at the request of the OPCC. The topics covered are those that feature within the PCC’s Police and Crime Plan. The PCC has set out a series of objectives under the title of ‘Reinvigorating Local Policing’ and has set up a Local Policing Mission Board to drive progress.
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Introduction
Local Policing (LP) consists of 4 departments, each led by a Superintendent: Community Policing, Operational Planning Unit, Patrol and Public Contact. This report does not cover the complete Local Policing function but instead, focusses of the following themes which are delivered by LP.
- Improved Performance Framework
- Shoplifting performance
- Hate Crime performance
- Patrol and the impact it has on other areas
- Neighbourhood Crime
- ASB, to include hotspots
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Improved Performance Framework
The LP performance framework is designed to deliver against the Annual Delivery Plan and Control strategy. Under ‘system productivity’ the department has driven 14% reductions in immediate response demand under the Right Care Right Person multi-agency project. Our LP ‘performance edge’ captures data that allows us to understand how effective our response to the public is and implement strategies for continuous improvement (as demonstrated through Responding to the Public Board).
LP is normally the first response to an incident, from answering the call, to attendance and actions at scene. As such, the department contributes to all Force Priorities including Male Violence Against Women and Girls (MVAWG), Domestic Abuse, Gangs, Knife Crime, Town Centre Hotspots, Neighbourhood Crime, Anti-Social Behaviour and Hate Crime.
The LP performance framework applies focus to how effectively and efficiently we are able to answer and respond to calls and how effectively and efficiently we manage victim care and crime caseloads. This is managed via the monthly LP Performance Board which reports into the Force Performance Board chaired by the Assistant Chief Constable. We are able to monitor and scrutinise a wide range of data through Power BI including:
- 999 Call Handling performance and demand
- Proportion of Immediate incidents attended within 15 minutes.
- Recorded and solved crime rate for burglary, robbery, hate crime, ASB, theft from shop
- Mental Health demand
- Crime case load
- PSP caseload
- Community and Patrol Abstraction rate (partially able to monitor and focusing on how to obtain further data)
- VCOP data
- Crime outcomes
- Public complaints
- Stop search, Use of Force and S163 data and scrutiny feedback
- KIN engagements
- Social media impressions and impact
LP Command also reports into a series of respective and specialist Boards including Investigation Standards Board, MVAWG, Vulnerability and Exploitation Board and Community Safety Partnership Boards. This ensures that we are clear and accountable for the contribution that LP makes to the breadth of incidents that is responded to.
During our HMICFRS Peel inspection in September this year, we were able to provide evidence of our performance due to our governance framework and access to data. This report has not yet been published but will provide valuable feedback to further assist us to improve our service delivery across Local Policing.
Neighbourhood Policing (NHP) Performance Framework
The Government have announced a renewed focus on neighbourhood policing as an important opportunity to deepen the connection between forces and the local communities served and rebuilding public confidence. The Home Secretary has made a commitment to deliver an additional 13,000 neighbourhood officers, PCSOs and special constables and they have announced a new Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, to tell the public what they should be able to expect from local neighbourhood teams. Bedfordshire Police have invested in NHP resource and training and value the relationships that we have with our communities. We welcome the NHP Guarantee and intend to ensure we are well placed to serve our communities in accordance with the guarantee.
The detail regarding the uplift has not yet been announced. Apportionment across police forces is not known and funding for new resource is not yet known. It is therefore too early to understand the opportunities that this may present in Bedfordshire.
The NPCC are currently consulting on a new NHP performance framework to drive these ambitions. The draft document is organised by the five pillars of the guarantee:
- Police back on the beat: A Neighbourhood Policing Team in every local area, carrying out intelligence-led and visible patrols, including in town centres and on high streets. We will hold forces to account for ensuring neighbourhood policing teams are protected, so they remain focussed on serving communities.
- Community led: A named, contactable officer for every neighbourhood, responsive to local problems. Residents and local businesses will be able to have a say on the police’s priorities for their area.
- A new neighbourhood policing career pathway: New training for officers and standards for professional excellence will ensure neighbourhood policing is developed as a specialist policing capability.
- A crackdown on anti-social behaviour: Neighbourhood policing teams will have tougher powers, and be supported by other agencies, to tackle persistent anti-social behaviour. This includes piloting the new Respect Order to enable swift enforcement against prolific offenders, and a dedicated lead officer in every force working with communities to develop a local anti-social behaviour action plan.
- Safer town centres: Neighbourhood policing teams will crack down on shop theft, street theft and assaults against retail workers, so local people can take back their streets from thugs and thieves.
The suggested measures are:
- Monitoring the recruitment of 13,000 additional neighbourhood police officers, PCSOs and special constable
- overall confidence in local police
- perceive the police in the local area to do a good or excellent job
- perceive that the police in local area can be trusted
- perceive that the police would treat you fairly
- perceive that the police would treat you with respect
- perceived frequency of visible police foot patrols in local area
- level of abstraction of police personnel away from neighbourhood policing roles
- proportion of neighbourhoods with a named officer, contactable by the public, and up-to-date community-led neighbourhood policing priorities
- perceive the police to understand local concerns
- perceive the police to deal with local concerns
- proportion of neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs who have completed or are progressing through the Level 2 of the Neighbourhood Policing Programme Career Pathway
- a measure of police patrolling activity will be scoped
- a measure of community engagement and problem-solving activity to be scoped
- perceive ASB to be a problem in local area
- proportion that have experienced or witnessed ASB in local area in the last 12 months
- presence of robust ASB action plans in every police force, addressing repeat offending and providing accountability to the local community
- perceived changes to levels of crime in local area in recent years
Our Community Policing Team have a detailed and bespoke performance management framework. However, the above measures are heavily focused on public perception and we will need to consider how to implement a framework that can measure and monitor accordingly.
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Theft from Shop Performance
Retail Crime Action Plan
Parliamentary focus surrounding theft from shop (TFS) has identified national concerns regarding police response to retail crime. In October 2023, then Policing Minister Chris Philp, in conjunction with senior police leaders, launched the Retail Crime Action Plan (RCAP) which required improvements to police responses and more responsibilities on businesses to take preventative measures.
The Labour Government has maintained a focus on TFS with the introduction of new legislation aimed at tackling violence against retail workers. This is a high-volume offence but there is an expectation that police tackle repeat offenders, incidents involving violence and aggression, and repeat locations and that offences are investigated where there are reasonable lines of investigation. The recent budget has again highlighted concerns regarding retail crime with the announcement that there is no immunity for low-value shoplifting.
Recent research in Luton and Bedford suggests that shops and businesses only report a small percentage thefts. This is due to years of poor attendance levels by police and consideration by some businesses that it is not cost effective to call police, due to the time taken by units to attend.
However, it is known that shoplifting features as a significant proportion in some repeat offender’s criminality, particularly for drug dependency and those with alcohol addiction. Consequently, theft is fuelling drug use and supply, leading to town centre violence with robberies and knife crime, in addition to handling offences and ASB.
Theft from shop – recorded crimes and solved crime rates
The levels of recorded and solved theft from shop have shown some interesting trends. There has been a significant increase in recording of TFS over the past year with a 44% rise. This has been accompanied by a marked increase in solved outcomes as well, going from 11% last year to over 19% this year to date. TFS, along with community and business burglary, has seen some of the highest increases in solved crime rates of all crime types.
This suggests that our focus on the RCAP, and subsequent improved engagement with retailers has increased levels of reporting. Furthermore, targeting of prolific offenders across LP has increased solved rates with a 139% increase compared to the same period last year.
Operation Belleville
Operation Belleville is the Community Policing response to TFS and each CSP has a focused plan in place. Each area is targeting the top prolific shoplifters, as well as completing ongoing Environmental Visual Surveys at highest demand locations.
North
Since, January 2024 the CPT have made 175 arrests overall in Bedford Town Centre. 38 arrests were for TFS and the majority of the remaining were for ASB and public order offences with links to shoplifting. 10 Criminal Behaviour Order applications were made in the same period resulting in 1 successful order, 1 ongoing and 8 unsuccessful.
This has highlighted a barrier whereby the courts are not accepting the application. Our Force tactical lead is currently working with magistrates and CPS to understand why applications are not being accepted and may require wider support to overcome this challenge. It is important that police are able to make effective use of legislative powers to prevent criminality.
Operation Highgate regularly deploys in Bedford Town Centre providing a visible deterrence and increased reassurance. TFS decreased by 28% during the 6 months analysed compared to the same period the previous year. The new Police Hub has opened at Bedford Bus Station which further assists with increased police presence.
Central
Central Bedfordshire presents a challenge to deploying visible policing presence due to the spread of smaller town centre areas, in comparison to Luton and Bedford. However, the team have continued to focus on engagements with retailers and a focus on the most prolific offenders including:
JP – Charged for x6 TFS and remanded in custody after being rapidly targeted and arrested for recall to prison. Sentencing hearing is Jan 2025.
KS – Charged and remanded for x5 TFS. Sentencing and CBO hearing is Feb 2025.
NS – Charged for x9 TFS and remanded after being rapidly targeted and arrested for recall to prison. He is now serving the remainder of his four-year sentence.
Luton
Luton CPT has focused on targeting most prolific offenders and improving solved outcome. They have solved 150 TFS offences over the 6-month period, compared to 49 solved offences for the same time in the previous year.
Joint workshops with BID and NET have taken place where learning has been shared around radio communications, recording and reporting incidents and securing evidence. Businesses have provided positive feedback regarding increased visibility from the town centre team as well as from the Project Servitor deployments.
In the last 2 months 15 arrests have been made for TFC resulting in 53 charges.
Ongoing work
The CPT participate in regional collaboration to discuss joint approaches to retail crime. Their current focus is on the following themes:
- How to maximise crime prevention in the top 5 stores.
- Improving intelligence and joint working to tackle criminals that operate across force boarders.
- Maximising engagements to encourage reporting of TFS.
- Work with retailers to encourage investment in digital CCTV. This will maximise the impact of facial recognition technology and will streamline evidence.
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Hate Crime Performance
Hate crime traditionally follows a seasonal trend with peaks in the summer and dips during winter. This has remained true throughout the past year, although this summer resulted in a peak that exceeded the upper limit and September saw the lowest solved rate year to date of 4%. Hate crime levels have since reduced below the upper limit and solved rates have increased to 20%. The hate crime trends in Bedfordshire have generally followed national trends, suggesting that causation may be related to national and global incidents including the Palestine / Israeli conflict and extreme white wing activity.
Following the low solved outcome rate in September, the Head of Patrol carried out dip sampling to identify improvement opportunities. This identified learning needs to improve the quality of victim engagement. Where hate crimes were reported online, there were missed opportunities to speak to victims of crime and support them to engage. 47% of hate crime outcomes were recorded as no further action because the victim did not support. Patrol and Community are working together to improve the engagement and support they provide to victims of hate crime, in order to improve trust and confidence and likelihood of supporting a prosecution.
Hate Crime Overview by Type
Racially motivated hate crime remains by far, the highest crime type and this is consistently so. We have seen an 82% decrease in disability hate crime in October, although the numbers are low. All other types generally remain stable.
Hate crime experienced online is steadily increasing with levels peaking in September with 18 crimes and 3 non-crimes.
Assigned Hate Crime
Bedfordshire Police do not have a dedicated Hate Crime Team and instead, hate crime is investigated according to our crime allocation policy. Patrol carry the largest proportion of Hate Crime and across the force, 98 cases are over 100 days old and there are 51 outstanding suspects. Further exploration is being carried out into these categories.
Hate Crime Overview – Suspect & Victim Demographics - Last 12 months
Hate Crime against police
Over the last 12 months there have been 155 hate crimes & 4 hate incidents committed against police officers and staff. Out of the 1529 hate crimes in the last 12 months, 10.4% (159) were against officers, 26 of which included physical assault. 72.3% of those offences were racially motivated and 20.1% based on sexual orientation. The Head of Patrol is leading further work on ‘Maggie’s Law’ which is our approach to robustly tackling assaults against police and ensuring we provide quality support to our officers following assaults. Our solved rate for hate crimes against police is 39.6%. A common theme with offences against emergency workers is a high tolerance level. The Maggie’s Law focus described above will focus on this issue.
Hate Crime Awareness Week
Community Policing and Corporate Communications developed and implemented a hate crime awareness strategy during Hate Crime Awareness Week in October. This resulted in several positive outcomes.
- Increase visits to hate crime reporting section: 187 people clicked the QR code generated – this is a 68% increase on the previous month and looks set to continue with 98 already in November. This is with an additional 43 on direct website views and 171 sent via social media.
- Increase reporting of hate crime: 21 reports received via web during the month of October, will continue to monitor to see if this will show increase into the following month. In the month since the campaign, we have an increase of 6 reports when compared with the same period last year.
- Our internal article was also viewed by 383 with the majority of these being in Local Policing Community, Patrol and Ops.
- Increase public trust and confidence: Our videos reached over 23,000 and received 117 positive reactions via the corporate channel alone
- Increase partnership collaboration: We did manage to bring partners on board to promote our activity and share on their own channels, we have also had further partners such as BPHA get in touch following the campaign.
- Key partners: We had involvement from six schools, three local authority CSPs and IAG. We also amplified community engagement activity from local accounts.
Hate Crime Partnership Board
Partners from Beds Police, Community Safety Partnerships and Crown Prosecution Service meet bi-monthly to monitor and scrutinise hate crime trends and performance. The partnership is currently focussed on the following themes:
- Hate Crime Policy to be fully reviewed given latest Partnership working initiatives and internal structural changes.
- Instigation of Monthly Tactical level meeting to draw together various strands including investigations, Communications, initiatives, partnerships and training.
- Development of hate crime scrutiny panel.
- Third party reporting opportunities.
- Patrol managers to coordinate review of internal Investigative processes.
Non-Crime Hate Incidents (NCHIs)
The HMICFRS Inspection into Activism & Impartiality in Policing was published in September 2024 and highlighted several weaknesses in approaches to NCHIs. Forces have responded inconsistently to the revised NCHI guidance, leading to variations in their processes and practices. Forces struggle to accurately identify and differentiate NCHIs from hate crimes, hampering data analysis and a comprehensive understanding of these incidents. A lack of knowledge and a risk-averse approach contribute to the incorrect recording of incidents and potentially result in unnecessary deployment of police resources. The current online NCHI training is often perceived as confusing and insufficient.
A number of recommendations have been made to improve this position and are the subject of current focus.
Recommendation 16
By 31 March 2025, forces should update and implement their policies and guidance for non-crime hate incidents to provide clear direction to officers and staff for the assessment and recording of, and response to, these incidents.
Recommendation 17
By 31 March 2025, forces should make sure their recording processes for hate-related incidents allow them to analyse data relating to hate crimes and non-crime hate incidents.
Recommendation 18
By 31 March 2025, chief constables should make sure their force has an effective and efficient process for assessing and reviewing hate incidents.
Recommendation 20
By 31 March 2025, forces should make sure they clearly define in policies the requirements for recording personal data for non-crime hate incidents. If the force approach differs from ‘Non -Crime Hate Incidents: Code of Practice on the Recording and Retention of Personal Data’, the force should record the rationale for this.
Of note, the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) have commissioned a review of the subject of NCHIs. The introduction of this categorisation has led to confusion for police officers and the supporting training was deemed to lack clarity. The review is welcome and outcomes will be observed.
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Patrol and Impact on other Areas
The Patrol model in Bedfordshire Police is a 24/7 model which operates from 2 mains hubs at Beds HQ and Luton Police Station. Teams 1 – 4 operate on a 4 on / 4 off shift pattern and this provides full coverage. The core responsibilities of Patrol are to respond to policing incidents and to investigate non-specialist crime and crime that does not require detective investigations. The department currently has 267 PCs, of which 163 are response trained drivers.
In November, Patrol were the first attending officers in 74% incidents followed by Community Policing at 9%, Student Hub 4.7 and JPS uniform 4%. It is vital that Patrol officers are well trained to be able to deal with a variety of incidents and maximise golden hour opportunities which impact on our solved outcomes rate.
Patrol hold 2030 out of 6019 force total assigned crimes in November (33%) and 527 out of 1223 outstanding suspects (44%). The solved rate in October was 13.2% and compliance with VCOP is well managed and consistently high (sitting at 96% in December).
Patrol is made up of a high percentage of officers within their initial 3 years of service. Many of them are inexperienced in dealing with challenging incidents and investigating crime and they require support to develop. However, Patrol is also the area that feeds succession planning into all other policing departments. This creates a rapid turnover of officers which means Patrol are constantly developing inexperienced officers only to see them move into other teams as they reach the optimum level of productivity. This has a detrimental impact on investigation standards and also our ability to respond to immediate incidents within 15 minutes. We are committed to training and developing our officers and developing plans to create more stability within the Patrol teams.
In November, our immediate attendance times were; 63% responded to within 20 mins and 80% within 30 mins. The average time to arrive is 55 seconds quicker that previous month.
Improving immediate attendance times is a performance priority for the force and the ‘Responding to the Public’ Gold Group, chaired by the Deputy Chief Constable, brings together specialists from across the force to identify solutions. Data analysis exploring the nature of immediate incident demand across the force has establish the following facts:
- The volume of immediate incidents is reducing in the long-term down 14% year on year.
- This reduction is being seen in all CSP areas notably Luton which is down 19% year on year.
- The proportion of immediate incidents has stayed relatively stable across the CSP areas over the last 2 years with Luton around 36%, Central 34% and Bedford 30%.
- The attendance rate for immediate incidents has increased over the last 12-months from just under 80% to around 83/84% but this is a reduction in number with the reduction in overall volume.
- Most immediate incidents attended over the last 12-months are closed as Crime (20%) or Public Safety/Welfare (50%) with Transport a lower but sizeable proportion (12%).
- Around 17% of the immediate incidents attended over the last 12-months is domestic related and the attendance rate for these is very high at around 98/99%.
Analysis evidences that there are geographical differences in our immediate response times.
Performance over the last 12-months for attendance within 15 minutes was slightly higher in Bedford Borough (45%), lower in Central Beds (31%) and best in Luton (50%).
Extracts are available that show performance for attendance at immediate incidents within 15 minutes across times of the day and days of the week. For the month of November 2024 at force level performance is generally better during the night and lowest around 06:00/07:00 and 17:00/18:00. Friday is the lowest performing day of the week. The lowest performing periods do not correspond directly with the highest periods of demand (although demand is higher around 17:00/18:00). There are assumptions that can be made based on this analysis that the current shift pattern and our north and south Patrol model, have a negative impact on our immediate response time.
Patrol officers are frequently abstracted from responding to the public and managing their investigations due to managing scene guards, hospital watches and cell watches. In October, Patrol officers were otherwise abstracted on 50 occasions. Further data is being explored to quantify officer hours spend on abstractions.
Officers are also absent from their Patrol teams to complete student rotations to other departments as part of their learning.
Patrol Hub
The Patrol Hub was introduced in Spring this year and focuses on dealing Patrol demand utilising remote video response in cases where physical attendance is not a necessity. Since implementation, the team have continued to take demand away from front line immediate responders. In October 2024 the Patrol Hub achieved the following performance:
- 401 incidents fulfilled by The Patrol Hub (in keeping with the average patrol team fulfilling 450 incidents)
- 57 RVR incidents manage and victims on average being seen in under 10 minutes
- 77 Storm reduction VR call back
- 611 appointments completed – 45% of the entire appointment demand sits with remote appointments which is an area which needs to improve.
The Hub are now dealing with some secondary investigations. This enables an enhanced golden hour response with the intention of reducing but not removing the reports allocated for investigation. This function has been in place in the last 2 weeks and enquiries completed by investigators have enabled the filing of 40 additional crimes in the hub without the need to send them onto Patrol. The team have also completed 60 key enquiries.
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Neighbourhood Crime Performance
Neighbourhood crime consists of the following offences: Aggravated Vehicle Taking, Interfering With A Motor Vehicle, Residential Burglary – Home, Residential Burglary - Unconnected Building, Robbery, Theft From A Motor Vehicle, Theft from the Person, Theft Or Unauthorised Taking Of A Motor Vehicle.
As per the DCPP definition, 597 crimes were recorded in November, which is a decrease compared to the previous month. Levels are beginning to stabilise and are around the average. The rise in Neighbourhood Crime has been primarily due to a sustained increase in TFMV, although this has fallen significantly in Nov and due to Burglary - Unconnected Building remaining near the upper limit. Overall levels of Neighbourhood Crime are high in Luton.
The solved crime rate is now decreasing and was 2.7% in Nov. This is a decrease compared to Oct and is below the same period last year.
Until the new government confirm their preferred outlier process, all outlier information has been removed from the DCPP as of October 2024
Personal Robberies 46 recorded in Nov. This is broadly the same as last month and is just above the average. The 3mth average is now showing a downward trend.
The solved crime rate was 13% for Nov with the 12mth trend still moving downwards. The 3mth trend is now increasing.
Robbery response timings
31 Incidents attended – 14 Immediate, 14 Priority, 1 Scheduled and 2 marked as Routine.
Immediate - % Arrive 15m – 71.4% - an increase of around 18.5%.
For the 12 months to Sept 2024, Bedfordshire ranked 32nd for crimes per 1000 (0.90) and 42nd for the solved rate (5.1%).
Residential Burglary
During Nov there were 136 Burglaries, of which 97 were "home" burglaries. Levels are now starting to increase but are still around the average. The 3mth average is now also increasing.
The solved crime rate in Nov was 3.7%. This is a decrease compared to Oct and is lower than the same time last year (3.7% v 5.9%).
For Residential Burglary of a Home, in the 12 months to Sept 24, Bedfordshire ranked 26th for the crime rate per 1.000 (5.032) and 13th for the solved rate (8.7%). For Unconnected Buildings this was 15th and 4th.
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Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Performance
Tackling ASB is a focus of the Government and remains a priority for Bedfordshire Police. The Government have announced that they will be introducing ‘respect orders’ as a mechanism to prevent ASB and are seeking to trial these. Bedfordshire Police are keen to become a pilot force but this will require agreement and support from our Local Authority partners.
ASB reporting continues to follow seasonal trends with peaks during the summer months and reductions during autumn and winter. This summer saw ASB rise above the upper limit but has returned to average levels. This performance is also monitored through the 3 Community Safety Partnerships.
Incident breakdown
Vehicle related ASB continues to make up the highest volume of ASB with 688 incidents per month. This is followed by nuisance neighbours at 414 incidents per month and then begging / vagrancy at 133 incidents per month. The remaining ASB categories are abandoned vehicles, fireworks nuisance, malicious communications, noise, prostitution related activity, littering, inconsiderate behaviour, and street drinking. Monthly reporting of these categories is low. There have been slight increases in most ASB categories with the most significant rise being vehicle related nuisance with a 36% increase compared to the previous year.
Examples of tackling ASB
Op Highgate
This is a town-centre based operation that works with partners around issues seen within that environment. This includes begging, homelessness and street drinking. This operation has HO funding from the “Hotspot Policing” initiative which has increased a visible presence in the town centre with 8 hours of foot patrol on a bi-daily basis. A new police hub in Bedford Bus Station provides a suitable space for officers to hold engagements and surgeries within this ASB hotspot.
A new process has been drawn up for PCs and PCSOs to serve FPNs for PSPO breaches, which will be issued by the council, a process not previously seen in the area. Alongside key partners, meetings are held with the town centre businesses and market stall holder to identify and tackle their priority issues. These priorities are tackled in weekly operational meetings and monthly tactical meetings held with partners.
There has been an overall decrease of ASB reports by 2.1% in comparison to the previous 12 months. Of note is the 4.1% reduction in vehicle nuisance which is a good indicator of the positive partnership work that has gone into this type of offending.
Op SkyTree
Nuisance motorcycles continues to be a priority focus within Central Bedfordshire. New equipment, training and resource has enabled the Community Policing Team to employ new tactics to tackle this problem. The operational deployments are supported by unmarked traffic motorcycles, unmarked traffic cars, Op Meteor off-road motorcycle rider, quad bike riders and drones. Within the space of just 3 hours the team arrested two motor bikers for PWIT’s, recovered 5 vehicles and issued 3 S59 notices.
The use of CCTV for issuance of S59 warnings continues. Since commencing this tactic in July, 39 riders have been identified and had notices served. Op Skytree is responsible for a 4.1% decline in ASB reports year on year.
Drugs Warrants (North Central)
3 Separate and unconnected drugs warrants obtained and executed at addresses in Potton, Westoning and Clifton.
Westoning – Information that cannabis edibles had been intercepted by royal mail to an address in Norfolk. The sender was identified at an address in Westoning. A warrant was executed at the address where numerous cannabis edibles, designer clothes and advertising material for the offender who saw his endeavours as a legitimate business venture. The business had also been registered with Companies House.
Potton – A drug warrant in Potton resulted in a domestic violence offender being found hidden in the bottom of a Sofa. The officers discovered this as they lifted the sofa to check underneath it. This was captured on BWV. The video was circulated by Beds Police on social media and received millions of views and demonstrated our professionalism in tackling crime and ASB.
Clifton – A drugs warrant executed in Clifton led to the recovery of around 30 wraps of cannabis in smell proof bags, £600 cash and 4 offensive weapons.
Op Octans
This is an on-going operation aimed at reducing the impact of the on-street sex trade both on those that work within it and the surrounding communities. Community officers regularly attend Azalea to develop rapport and gather intelligence. Hi-visibility patrols are undertaken with Luton Borough Council and meetings are held with the community to understand the issues. A number of warrants have been executed to disrupt drug activity associated with the exploitation of vulnerable women. There has been a 26% reduction in sex trade ASB in comparison to the last 12 months.
OP Future
This operation tackles ASB hotspots in Bury Park, Luton. Community Police Officers carry out high-visibility patrol and engagements at hotspot locations to prevent and deter crime and ASB.
Sainsburys was identified as a high demand location and was the focus of hi-visibility patrols and engagement. This has resulted in a reduction of 605 crimes in the immediate patrol area. The store manager feedback “your on going operation which is being run by PC 786 and PCSO Junaid is really working. Their regular visits are really making a difference. I believe this operation started in February, when crime rate was quite high. In March we had 40 theft incidents which has gone down to 10 in April. Which shows a substantial progress. Both the officers are showing their dedication and devotion. Please let this operation continue indefinitely.”
HMICFRS Policing response to ASB – Peel Spotlight
The above report was published in October and identified a series of common themes across police forces. These themes have been captured as recommendations for all forces to report back on, in spring next year. Those recommendations (of relevance to local forces) are as follows:
Recommendation 1
By 31 March 2025, forces should review their processes for recording antisocial behaviour to make sure all antisocial behaviour and associated crime are recorded correctly.
From an audit point of view as part of our annual Audit Plan 40 ASB Personal incidents are audited each month which predominantly is looking at the NCRS point of view to identify any missed crimes. This audit also reviews the NSIR closing codes used. This was an issue raised by HMIC as part of CDI and in the recent report about correct identification at outset and when incidents are closed. This is reported on monthly within the NCRS Report. If a subsequent crime is recorded the incident should be closed as the crime closing code not as ASB. All HOCR/NCRS training inputs delivered by Crime Registrar team do include reference to ensuring if officers / staff dealing with ASB Incidents they should be mindful of associated crimes, particularly conduct crimes.
Recording anti-social behaviour – a review of this area after identified some issues within our previous process. From April 2023 we started a trial area in Central Bedfordshire seeing the demise of the CoTTs system and recording everything onto the Force command and Control system creating two separate summaries for ASB (Just Reported) and WIP (Work in progress). This for the first time made ASB visible and accountable across force systems. Further discussions and tweaks saw all 3 areas across Bedfordshire using this process with the last being Luton in January 2024.
The above process is dip sampled regularly and has seen increased compliance. However, HMIC initial findings highlighted some incidents being created or closed as ASB that never featured on the the ASB summary for review. This work is ongoing and a dedicated SSRS report is generated weekly showing these incidents for DIP sample and the results will be used to improve performance in the area.
Recommendation 2
By 30 September 2025, forces should make sure personnel are appropriately trained to identify and record antisocial behaviour and associated crime when they are first reported.
This training is delivered by the Public Contact training team for all staff joining the Control Room and Crime Bureau. The training content is very thorough with frequent references to when ASB becomes a crime, and some case studies. Two courses per year are factored in, to train new joiners and those requiring additional support.
Recommendation 3
By 31 March 2025, forces should:
- review their risk assessment processes for antisocial behaviour cases to make sure that risks are properly assessed from initial contact to case closure; and
- make sure completed risk assessments are retained in line with management of police information guidelines.
As a force, we are training our Community Sergeants, enhancing their ability to both allocate resource on Storm and close ASB incidents. By doing this it will further highlight the work that the teams do in this area and feed into wider performance data around allocation to ASB incidents. This was area was identified through the above process as storage was highlighted as ineffective often hidden in group files and folders that were not searchable or accessible. The ASB matrix itself has been re-written and is currently out for comment. Moving forward, it is the opinion of the group that we should look to move the matrix onto the TuServe platform as currently it is under used by Patrol officers. This would then solve the issue of MOPI compliance.
Recommendation 4
By 31 December 2024, forces should:
- make sure all antisocial behaviour problem-solving plans fully specify the problem, contain sufficient detail, are effectively supervised; and
- evaluate all antisocial behaviour problem-solving plans for an outcome in line with National Police Chiefs’ Council Neighbourhood Policing Outcome and Performance Guidelines.
This forms part of the Community Policing performance management framework and has been recently supported by the development of the problem-solving and prevention tools.
Recommendation 8
By 30 September 2025, forces should give all neighbourhood policing teams antisocial behaviour training that makes best use of the College of Policing’s antisocial behaviour guidance and resources.
Our Community Policing Team have a well-established endorsed learning programme which is accredited by the CoP. This programme includes learning and development focused on problem-solving and ASB. However, we will use this opportunity to reassure ourselves that this training is cognisant of the most up to date guidance.
Report title Local Policing Spotlight (V1.4)
Report for OPCC Performance and Governance Board December 2024
- Purpose
This report has been produced at the request of the OPCC. The topics covered are those that feature within the PCC’s Police and Crime Plan. The PCC has set out a series of objectives under the title of ‘Reinvigorating Local Policing’ and has set up a Local Policing Mission Board to drive progress.
- Introduction
Local Policing (LP) consists of 4 departments, each led by a Superintendent: Community Policing, Operational Planning Unit, Patrol and Public Contact. This report does not cover the complete Local Policing function but instead, focusses of the following themes which are delivered by LP.
- Improved Performance Framework
- Shoplifting performance
- Hate Crime performance
- Patrol and the impact it has on other areas
- Neighbourhood Crime
- ASB, to include hotspots
- Improved Performance Framework
The LP performance framework is designed to deliver against the Annual Delivery Plan and Control strategy. Under ‘system productivity’ the department has driven 14% reductions in immediate response demand under the Right Care Right Person multi-agency project. Our LP ‘performance edge’ captures data that allows us to understand how effective our response to the public is and implement strategies for continuous improvement (as demonstrated through Responding to the Public Board).
LP is normally the first response to an incident, from answering the call, to attendance and actions at scene. As such, the department contributes to all Force Priorities including Male Violence Against Women and Girls (MVAWG), Domestic Abuse, Gangs, Knife Crime, Town Centre Hotspots, Neighbourhood Crime, Anti-Social Behaviour and Hate Crime.
The LP performance framework applies focus to how effectively and efficiently we are able to answer and respond to calls and how effectively and efficiently we manage victim care and crime caseloads. This is managed via the monthly LP Performance Board which reports into the Force Performance Board chaired by the Assistant Chief Constable. We are able to monitor and scrutinise a wide range of data through Power BI including:
- 999 Call Handling performance and demand
- Proportion of Immediate incidents attended within 15 minutes.
- Recorded and solved crime rate for burglary, robbery, hate crime, ASB, theft from shop
- Mental Health demand
- Crime case load
- PSP caseload
- Community and Patrol Abstraction rate (partially able to monitor and focusing on how to obtain further data)
- VCOP data
- Crime outcomes
- Public complaints
- Stop search, Use of Force and S163 data and scrutiny feedback
- KIN engagements
- Social media impressions and impact
LP Command also reports into a series of respective and specialist Boards including Investigation Standards Board, MVAWG, Vulnerability and Exploitation Board and Community Safety Partnership Boards. This ensures that we are clear and accountable for the contribution that LP makes to the breadth of incidents that is responded to.
During our HMICFRS Peel inspection in September this year, we were able to provide evidence of our performance due to our governance framework and access to data. This report has not yet been published but will provide valuable feedback to further assist us to improve our service delivery across Local Policing.
Neighbourhood Policing (NHP) Performance Framework
The Government have announced a renewed focus on neighbourhood policing as an important opportunity to deepen the connection between forces and the local communities served and rebuilding public confidence. The Home Secretary has made a commitment to deliver an additional 13,000 neighbourhood officers, PCSOs and special constables and they have announced a new Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, to tell the public what they should be able to expect from local neighbourhood teams. Bedfordshire Police have invested in NHP resource and training and value the relationships that we have with our communities. We welcome the NHP Guarantee and intend to ensure we are well placed to serve our communities in accordance with the guarantee.
The detail regarding the uplift has not yet been announced. Apportionment across police forces is not known and funding for new resource is not yet known. It is therefore too early to understand the opportunities that this may present in Bedfordshire.
The NPCC are currently consulting on a new NHP performance framework to drive these ambitions. The draft document is organised by the five pillars of the guarantee:
- Police back on the beat: A Neighbourhood Policing Team in every local area, carrying out intelligence-led and visible patrols, including in town centres and on high streets. We will hold forces to account for ensuring neighbourhood policing teams are protected, so they remain focussed on serving communities.
- Community led: A named, contactable officer for every neighbourhood, responsive to local problems. Residents and local businesses will be able to have a say on the police’s priorities for their area.
- A new neighbourhood policing career pathway: New training for officers and standards for professional excellence will ensure neighbourhood policing is developed as a specialist policing capability.
- A crackdown on anti-social behaviour: Neighbourhood policing teams will have tougher powers, and be supported by other agencies, to tackle persistent anti-social behaviour. This includes piloting the new Respect Order to enable swift enforcement against prolific offenders, and a dedicated lead officer in every force working with communities to develop a local anti-social behaviour action plan.
- Safer town centres: Neighbourhood policing teams will crack down on shop theft, street theft and assaults against retail workers, so local people can take back their streets from thugs and thieves.
The suggested measures are:
- Monitoring the recruitment of 13,000 additional neighbourhood police officers, PCSOs and special constable
- overall confidence in local police
- perceive the police in the local area to do a good or excellent job
- perceive that the police in local area can be trusted
- perceive that the police would treat you fairly
- perceive that the police would treat you with respect
- perceived frequency of visible police foot patrols in local area
- level of abstraction of police personnel away from neighbourhood policing roles
- proportion of neighbourhoods with a named officer, contactable by the public, and up-to-date community-led neighbourhood policing priorities
- perceive the police to understand local concerns
- perceive the police to deal with local concerns
- proportion of neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs who have completed or are progressing through the Level 2 of the Neighbourhood Policing Programme Career Pathway
- a measure of police patrolling activity will be scoped
- a measure of community engagement and problem-solving activity to be scoped
- perceive ASB to be a problem in local area
- proportion that have experienced or witnessed ASB in local area in the last 12 months
- presence of robust ASB action plans in every police force, addressing repeat offending and providing accountability to the local community
- perceived changes to levels of crime in local area in recent years
Our Community Policing Team have a detailed and bespoke performance management framework. However, the above measures are heavily focused on public perception and we will need to consider how to implement a framework that can measure and monitor accordingly.
- Theft from Shop Performance
Retail Crime Action Plan
Parliamentary focus surrounding theft from shop (TFS) has identified national concerns regarding police response to retail crime. In October 2023, then Policing Minister Chris Philp, in conjunction with senior police leaders, launched the Retail Crime Action Plan (RCAP) which required improvements to police responses and more responsibilities on businesses to take preventative measures.
The Labour Government has maintained a focus on TFS with the introduction of new legislation aimed at tackling violence against retail workers. This is a high-volume offence but there is an expectation that police tackle repeat offenders, incidents involving violence and aggression, and repeat locations and that offences are investigated where there are reasonable lines of investigation. The recent budget has again highlighted concerns regarding retail crime with the announcement that there is no immunity for low-value shoplifting’.
Recent research in Luton and Bedford suggests that shops and businesses only report a small percentage thefts. This is due to years of poor attendance levels by police and consideration by some businesses that it is not cost effective to call police, due to the time taken by units to attend.
However, it is known that shoplifting features as a significant proportion in some repeat offender’s criminality, particularly for drug dependency and those with alcohol addiction. Consequently, theft is fuelling drug use and supply, leading to town centre violence with robberies and knife crime, in addition to handling offences and ASB.
Theft from shop – recorded crimes and solved crime rates
The levels of recorded and solved theft from shop have shown some interesting trends. There has been a significant increase in recording of TFS over the past year with a 44% rise. This has been accompanied by a marked increase in solved outcomes as well, going from 11% last year to over 19% this year to date. TFS, along with community and business burglary, has seen some of the highest increases in solved crime rates of all crime types.
This suggests that our focus on the RCAP, and subsequent improved engagement with retailers has increased levels of reporting. Furthermore, targeting of prolific offenders across LP has increased solved rates with a 139% increase compared to the same period last year.
Operation Belleville
Operation Belleville is the Community Policing response to TFS and each CSP has a focused plan in place. Each area is targeting the top prolific shoplifters, as well as completing ongoing Environmental Visual Surveys at highest demand locations.
North
Since, January 2024 the CPT have made 175 arrests overall in Bedford Town Centre. 38 arrests were for TFS and the majority of the remaining were for ASB and public order offences with links to shoplifting. 10 Criminal Behaviour Order applications were made in the same period resulting in 1 successful order, 1 ongoing and 8 unsuccessful.
This has highlighted a barrier whereby the courts are not accepting the application. Our Force tactical lead is currently working with magistrates and CPS to understand why applications are not being accepted and may require wider support to overcome this challenge. It is important that police are able to make effective use of legislative powers to prevent criminality.
Operation Highgate regularly deploys in Bedford Town Centre providing a visible deterrence and increased reassurance. TFS decreased by 28% during the 6 months analysed compared to the same period the previous year. The new Police Hub has opened at Bedford Bus Station which further assists with increased police presence.
Central
Central Bedfordshire presents a challenge to deploying visible policing presence due to the spread of smaller town centre areas, in comparison to Luton and Bedford. However, the team have continued to focus on engagements with retailers and a focus on the most prolific offenders including:
JP – Charged for x6 TFS and remanded in custody after being rapidly targeted and arrested for recall to prison. Sentencing hearing is Jan 2025.
KS – Charged and remanded for x5 TFS. Sentencing and CBO hearing is Feb 2025.
NS – Charged for x9 TFS and remanded after being rapidly targeted and arrested for recall to prison. He is now serving the remainder of his four-year sentence.
Luton
Luton CPT has focused on targeting most prolific offenders and improving solved outcome. They have solved 150 TFS offences over the 6-month period, compared to 49 solved offences for the same time in the previous year.
Joint workshops with BID and NET have taken place where learning has been shared around radio communications, recording and reporting incidents and securing evidence. Businesses have provided positive feedback regarding increased visibility from the town centre team as well as from the Project Servitor deployments.
In the last 2 months 15 arrests have been made for TFC resulting in 53 charges.
Ongoing work
The CPT participate in regional collaboration to discuss joint approaches to retail crime. Their current focus is on the following themes:
- How to maximise crime prevention in the top 5 stores.
- Improving intelligence and joint working to tackle criminals that operate across force boarders.
- Maximising engagements to encourage reporting of TFS.
- Work with retailers to encourage investment in digital CCTV. This will maximise the impact of facial recognition technology and will streamline evidence.
- Hate Crime Performance
Hate crime traditionally follows a seasonal trend with peaks in the summer and dips during winter. This has remained true throughout the past year, although this summer resulted in a peak that exceeded the upper limit and September saw the lowest solved rate year to date of 4%. Hate crime levels have since reduced below the upper limit and solved rates have increased to 20%. The hate crime trends in Bedfordshire have generally followed national trends, suggesting that causation may be related to national and global incidents including the Palestine / Israeli conflict and extreme white wing activity.
Following the low solved outcome rate in September, the Head of Patrol carried out dip sampling to identify improvement opportunities. This identified learning needs to improve the quality of victim engagement. Where hate crimes were reported online, there were missed opportunities to speak to victims of crime and support them to engage. 47% of hate crime outcomes were recorded as no further action because the victim did not support. Patrol and Community are working together to improve the engagement and support they provide to victims of hate crime, in order to improve trust and confidence and likelihood of supporting a prosecution.
Hate Crime Overview by Type
Racially motivated hate crime remains by far, the highest crime type and this is consistently so. We have seen an 82% decrease in disability hate crime in October, although the numbers are low. All other types generally remain stable.
Hate crime experienced online is steadily increasing with levels peaking in September with 18 crimes and 3 non-crimes.
Assigned Hate Crime
Bedfordshire Police do not have a dedicated Hate Crime Team and instead, hate crime is investigated according to our crime allocation policy. Patrol carry the largest proportion of Hate Crime and across the force, 98 cases are over 100 days old and there are 51 outstanding suspects. Further exploration is being carried out into these categories.
Hate Crime Overview – Suspect & Victim Demographics - Last 12 months
Hate Crime against police
Over the last 12 months there have been 155 hate crimes & 4 hate incidents committed against police officers and staff. Out of the 1529 hate crimes in the last 12 months, 10.4% (159) were against officers, 26 of which included physical assault. 72.3% of those offences were racially motivated and 20.1% based on sexual orientation. The Head of Patrol is leading further work on ‘Maggie’s Law’ which is our approach to robustly tackling assaults against police and ensuring we provide quality support to our officers following assaults. Our solved rate for hate crimes against police is 39.6%. A common theme with offences against emergency workers is a high tolerance level. The Maggie’s Law focus described above will focus on this issue.
Hate Crime Awareness Week
Community Policing and Corporate Communications developed and implemented a hate crime awareness strategy during Hate Crime Awareness Week in October. This resulted in several positive outcomes.
- Increase visits to hate crime reporting section: 187 people clicked the QR code generated – this is a 68% increase on the previous month and looks set to continue with 98 already in November. This is with an additional 43 on direct website views and 171 sent via social media.
- Increase reporting of hate crime: 21 reports received via web during the month of October, will continue to monitor to see if this will show increase into the following month. In the month since the campaign, we have an increase of 6 reports when compared with the same period last year.
- Our internal article was also viewed by 383 with the majority of these being in Local Policing Community, Patrol and Ops.
- Increase public trust and confidence: Our videos reached over 23,000 and received 117 positive reactions via the corporate channel alone
- Increase partnership collaboration: We did manage to bring partners on board to promote our activity and share on their own channels, we have also had further partners such as BPHA get in touch following the campaign.
- Key partners: We had involvement from six schools, three local authority CSPs and IAG. We also amplified community engagement activity from local accounts.
Hate Crime Partnership Board
Partners from Beds Police, Community Safety Partnerships and Crown Prosecution Service meet bi-monthly to monitor and scrutinise hate crime trends and performance. The partnership is currently focussed on the following themes:
- Hate Crime Policy to be fully reviewed given latest Partnership working initiatives and internal structural changes.
- Instigation of Monthly Tactical level meeting to draw together various strands including investigations, Communications, initiatives, partnerships and training.
- Development of hate crime scrutiny panel.
- Third party reporting opportunities.
- Patrol managers to coordinate review of internal Investigative processes.
Non-Crime Hate Incidents (NCHIs)
The HMICFRS Inspection into Activism & Impartiality in Policing was published in September 2024 and highlighted several weaknesses in approaches to NCHIs. Forces have responded inconsistently to the revised NCHI guidance, leading to variations in their processes and practices. Forces struggle to accurately identify and differentiate NCHIs from hate crimes, hampering data analysis and a comprehensive understanding of these incidents. A lack of knowledge and a risk-averse approach contribute to the incorrect recording of incidents and potentially result in unnecessary deployment of police resources. The current online NCHI training is often perceived as confusing and insufficient.
A number of recommendations have been made to improve this position and are the subject of current focus.
Recommendation 16
By 31 March 2025, forces should update and implement their policies and guidance for non-crime hate incidents to provide clear direction to officers and staff for the assessment and recording of, and response to, these incidents.
Recommendation 17
By 31 March 2025, forces should make sure their recording processes for hate-related incidents allow them to analyse data relating to hate crimes and non-crime hate incidents.
Recommendation 18
By 31 March 2025, chief constables should make sure their force has an effective and efficient process for assessing and reviewing hate incidents.
Recommendation 20
By 31 March 2025, forces should make sure they clearly define in policies the requirements for recording personal data for non-crime hate incidents. If the force approach differs from ‘Non -Crime Hate Incidents: Code of Practice on the Recording and Retention of Personal Data’, the force should record the rationale for this.
Of note, the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) have commissioned a review of the subject of NCHIs. The introduction of this categorisation has led to confusion for police officers and the supporting training was deemed to lack clarity. The review is welcome and outcomes will be observed.
- Patrol and Impact on other Areas
The Patrol model in Bedfordshire Police is a 24/7 model which operates from 2 mains hubs at Beds HQ and Luton Police Station. Teams 1 – 4 operate on a 4 on / 4 off shift pattern and this provides full coverage. The core responsibilities of Patrol are to respond to policing incidents and to investigate non-specialist crime and crime that does not require detective investigations. The department currently has 267 PCs, of which 163 are response trained drivers.
In November, Patrol were the first attending officers in 74% incidents followed by Community Policing at 9%, Student Hub 4.7 and JPS uniform 4%. It is vital that Patrol officers are well trained to be able to deal with a variety of incidents and maximise golden hour opportunities which impact on our solved outcomes rate.
Patrol hold 2030 out of 6019 force total assigned crimes in November (33%) and 527 out of 1223 outstanding suspects (44%). The solved rate in October was 13.2% and compliance with VCOP is well managed and consistently high (sitting at 96% in December).
Patrol is made up of a high percentage of officers within their initial 3 years of service. Many of them are inexperienced in dealing with challenging incidents and investigating crime and they require support to develop. However, Patrol is also the area that feeds succession planning into all other policing departments. This creates a rapid turnover of officers which means Patrol are constantly developing inexperienced officers only to see them move into other teams as they reach the optimum level of productivity. This has a detrimental impact on investigation standards and also our ability to respond to immediate incidents within 15 minutes. We are committed to training and developing our officers and developing plans to create more stability within the Patrol teams.
In November, our immediate attendance times were; 63% responded to within 20 mins and 80% within 30 mins. The average time to arrive is 55 seconds quicker that previous month.
Improving immediate attendance times is a performance priority for the force and the ‘Responding to the Public’ Gold Group, chaired by the Deputy Chief Constable, brings together specialists from across the force to identify solutions. Data analysis exploring the nature of immediate incident demand across the force has establish the following facts:
- The volume of immediate incidents is reducing in the long-term down 14% year on year.
- This reduction is being seen in all CSP areas notably Luton which is down 19% year on year.
- The proportion of immediate incidents has stayed relatively stable across the CSP areas over the last 2 years with Luton around 36%, Central 34% and Bedford 30%.
- The attendance rate for immediate incidents has increased over the last 12-months from just under 80% to around 83/84% but this is a reduction in number with the reduction in overall volume.
- Most immediate incidents attended over the last 12-months are closed as Crime (20%) or Public Safety/Welfare (50%) with Transport a lower but sizeable proportion (12%).
- Around 17% of the immediate incidents attended over the last 12-months is domestic related and the attendance rate for these is very high at around 98/99%.
Analysis evidences that there are geographical differences in our immediate response times.
Performance over the last 12-months for attendance within 15 minutes was slightly higher in Bedford Borough (45%), lower in Central Beds (31%) and best in Luton (50%).
Extracts are available that show performance for attendance at immediate incidents within 15 minutes across times of the day and days of the week. For the month of November 2024 at force level performance is generally better during the night and lowest around 06:00/07:00 and 17:00/18:00. Friday is the lowest performing day of the week. The lowest performing periods do not correspond directly with the highest periods of demand (although demand is higher around 17:00/18:00). There are assumptions that can be made based on this analysis that the current shift pattern and our north and south Patrol model, have a negative impact on our immediate response time.
Patrol officers are frequently abstracted from responding to the public and managing their investigations due to managing scene guards, hospital watches and cell watches. In October, Patrol officers were otherwise abstracted on 50 occasions. Further data is being explored to quantify officer hours spend on abstractions.
Officers are also absent from their Patrol teams to complete student rotations to other departments as part of their learning.
Patrol Hub
The Patrol Hub was introduced in Spring this year and focuses on dealing Patrol demand utilising remote video response in cases where physical attendance is not a necessity. Since implementation, the team have continued to take demand away from front line immediate responders. In October 2024 the Patrol Hub achieved the following performance:
- 401 incidents fulfilled by The Patrol Hub (in keeping with the average patrol team fulfilling 450 incidents)
- 57 RVR incidents manage and victims on average being seen in under 10 minutes
- 77 Storm reduction VR call back
- 611 appointments completed – 45% of the entire appointment demand sits with remote appointments which is an area which needs to improve.
The Hub are now dealing with some secondary investigations. This enables an enhanced golden hour response with the intention of reducing but not removing the reports allocated for investigation. This function has been in place in the last 2 weeks and enquiries completed by investigators have enabled the filing of 40 additional crimes in the hub without the need to send them onto Patrol. The team have also completed 60 key enquiries.
- Neighbourhood Crime Performance
Neighbourhood crime consists of the following offences: Aggravated Vehicle Taking, Interfering With A Motor Vehicle, Residential Burglary – Home, Residential Burglary - Unconnected Building, Robbery, Theft From A Motor Vehicle, Theft from the Person, Theft Or Unauthorised Taking Of A Motor Vehicle.
As per the DCPP definition, 597 crimes were recorded in November, which is a decrease compared to the previous month. Levels are beginning to stabilise and are around the average. The rise in Neighbourhood Crime has been primarily due to a sustained increase in TFMV, although this has fallen significantly in Nov and due to Burglary - Unconnected Building remaining near the upper limit. Overall levels of Neighbourhood Crime are high in Luton.
The solved crime rate is now decreasing and was 2.7% in Nov. This is a decrease compared to Oct and is below the same period last year.
Until the new government confirm their preferred outlier process, all outlier information has been removed from the DCPP as of October 2024
Personal Robberies 46 recorded in Nov. This is broadly the same as last month and is just above the average. The 3 month average is now showing a downward trend.
The solved crime rate was 13% for Nov with the 12 month trend still moving downwards. The 3 month trend is now increasing.
Robbery response timings
31 Incidents attended – 14 Immediate, 14 Priority, 1 Scheduled and 2 marked as Routine.
Immediate - % Arrive 15m – 71.4% - an increase of around 18.5%.
For the 12 months to Sept 2024, Bedfordshire ranked 32nd for crimes per 1000 (0.90) and 42nd for the solved rate (5.1%).
Residential Burglary During Nov there were 136 Burglaries, of which 97 were "home" burglaries. Levels are now starting to increase but are still around the average. The 3mth average is now also increasing.
The solved crime rate in Nov was 3.7%. This is a decrease compared to Oct and is lower than the same time last year (3.7% v 5.9%).
For Residential Burglary of a Home, in the 12 months to Sept 24, Bedfordshire ranked 26th for the crime rate per 1.000 (5.032) and 13th for the solved rate (8.7%). For Unconnected Buildings this was 15th and 4th.
- Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Performance
Tackling ASB is a focus of the Government and remains a priority for Bedfordshire Police. The Government have announced that they will be introducing ‘respect orders’ as a mechanism to prevent ASB and are seeking to trial these. Bedfordshire Police are keen to become a pilot force but this will require agreement and support from our Local Authority partners.
ASB reporting continues to follow seasonal trends with peaks during the summer months and reductions during autumn and winter. This summer saw ASB rise above the upper limit but has returned to average levels. This performance is also monitored through the 3 Community Safety Partnerships.
Incident breakdown
Vehicle related ASB continues to make up the highest volume of ASB with 688 incidents per month. This is followed by nuisance neighbours at 414 incidents per month and then begging / vagrancy at 133 incidents per month. The remaining ASB categories are abandoned vehicles, fireworks nuisance, malicious communications, noise, prostitution related activity, littering, inconsiderate behaviour, and street drinking. Monthly reporting of these categories is low. There have been slight increases in most ASB categories with the most significant rise being vehicle related nuisance with a 36% increase compared to the previous year.
Examples of tackling ASB
Op Highgate
This is a town-centre based operation that works with partners around issues seen within that environment. This includes begging, homelessness and street drinking. This operation has HO funding from the “Hotspot Policing” initiative which has increased a visible presence in the town centre with 8 hours of foot patrol on a bi-daily basis. A new police hub in Bedford Bus Station provides a suitable space for officers to hold engagements and surgeries within this ASB hotspot.
A new process has been drawn up for PCs and PCSOs to serve FPNs for PSPO breaches, which will be issued by the council, a process not previously seen in the area. Alongside key partners, meetings are held with the town centre businesses and market stall holder to identify and tackle their priority issues. These priorities are tackled in weekly operational meetings and monthly tactical meetings held with partners.
There has been an overall decrease of ASB reports by 2.1% in comparison to the previous 12 months. Of note is the 4.1% reduction in vehicle nuisance which is a good indicator of the positive partnership work that has gone into this type of offending.
Op SkyTree
Nuisance motorcycles continues to be a priority focus within Central Bedfordshire. New equipment, training and resource has enabled the Community Policing Team to employ new tactics to tackle this problem. The operational deployments are supported by unmarked traffic motorcycles, unmarked traffic cars, Op Meteor off-road motorcycle rider, quadbike riders and drones. Within the space of just 3 hours the team arrested two motor bikers for PWIT’s, recovered 5 vehicles and issued 3 S59 notices.
The use of CCTV for issuance of S59 warnings continues. Since commencing this tactic in July, 39 riders have been identified and had notices served. Op Skytree is responsible for a 4.1% decline in ASB reports year on year.
Drugs Warrants (North Central)
3 Separate and unconnected drugs warrants obtained and executed at addresses in Potton, Westoning and Clifton.
Westoning – Information that cannabis edibles had been intercepted by royal mail to an address in Norfolk. The sender was identified at an address in Westoning. A warrant was executed at the address where numerous cannabis edibles, designer clothes and advertising material for the offender who saw his endeavours as a legitimate business venture. The business had also been registered with Companies House.
Potton – A drug warrant in Potton resulted in a domestic violence offender being found hidden in the bottom of a Sofa. The officers discovered this as they lifted the sofa to check underneath it. This was captured on BWV. The video was circulated by Beds Police on social media and received millions of views and demonstrated our professionalism in tackling crime and ASB.
Clifton – A drugs warrant executed in Clifton led to the recovery of around 30 wraps of cannabis in smell proof bags, £600 cash and 4 offensive weapons.
Op Octans
This is an on-going operation aimed at reducing the impact of the on-street sex trade both on those that work within it and the surrounding communities. Community officers regularly attend Azalea to develop rapport and gather intelligence. Hi-visibility patrols are undertaken with Luton Borough Council and meetings are held with the community to understand the issues. A number of warrants have been executed to disrupt drug activity associated with the exploitation of vulnerable women. There has been a 26% reduction in sex trade ASB in comparison to the last 12 months.
OP Future
This operation tackles ASB hotspots in Bury Park, Luton. Community Police Officers carry out high-visibility patrol and engagements at hotspot locations to prevent and deter crime and ASB.
Sainsburys was identified as a high demand location and was the focus of hi-visibility patrols and engagement. This has resulted in a reduction of 605 crimes in the immediate patrol area. The store manager feedback “your on going operation which is being run by PC 786 and PCSO Junaid is really working. Their regular visits are really making a difference. I believe this operation started in February, when crime rate was quite high. In March we had 40 theft incidents which has gone down to 10 in April. Which shows a substantial progress. Both the officers are showing their dedication and devotion. Please let this operation continue indefinitely.”
HMICFRS Policing response to ASB – Peel Spotlight
The above report was published in October and identified a series of common themes across police forces. These themes have been captured as recommendations for all forces to report back on, in spring next year. Those recommendations (of relevance to local forces) are as follows:
Recommendation 1
By 31 March 2025, forces should review their processes for recording antisocial behaviour to make sure all antisocial behaviour and associated crime are recorded correctly.
From an audit point of view as part of our annual Audit Plan 40 ASB Personal incidents are audited each month which predominantly is looking at the NCRS point of view to identify any missed crimes. This audit also reviews the NSIR closing codes used. This was an issue raised by HMIC as part of CDI and in the recent report about correct identification at outset and when incidents are closed. This is reported on monthly within the NCRS Report. If a subsequent crime is recorded the incident should be closed as the crime closing code not as ASB. All HOCR/NCRS training inputs delivered by Crime Registrar team do include reference to ensuring if officers / staff dealing with ASB Incidents they should be mindful of associated crimes, particularly conduct crimes.
Recording anti-social behaviour – a review of this area after identified some issues within our previous process. From April 2023 we started a trial area in Central Bedfordshire seeing the demise of the CoTTs system and recording everything onto the Force command and Control system creating two separate summaries for ASB (Just Reported) and WIP (Work in progress). This for the first time made ASB visible and accountable across force systems. Further discussions and tweaks saw all 3 areas across Bedfordshire using this process with the last being Luton in January 2024.
The above process is dip sampled regularly and has seen increased compliance. However, HMIC initial findings highlighted some incidents being created or closed as ASB that never featured on the the ASB summary for review. This work is ongoing and a dedicated SSRS report is generated weekly showing these incidents for DIP sample and the results will be used to improve performance in the area.
Recommendation 2
By 30 September 2025, forces should make sure personnel are appropriately trained to identify and record antisocial behaviour and associated crime when they are first reported.
This training is delivered by the Public Contact training team for all staff joining the Control Room and Crime Bureau. The training content is very thorough with frequent references to when ASB becomes a crime, and some case studies. Two courses per year are factored in, to train new joiners and those requiring additional support.
Recommendation 3
By 31 March 2025, forces should:
- review their risk assessment processes for antisocial behaviour cases to make sure that risks are properly assessed from initial contact to case closure; and
- make sure completed risk assessments are retained in line with management of police information guidelines.
As a force, we are training our Community Sergeants, enhancing their ability to both allocate resource on Storm and close ASB incidents. By doing this it will further highlight the work that the teams do in this area and feed into wider performance data around allocation to ASB incidents. This was area was identified through the above process as storage was highlighted as ineffective often hidden in group files and folders that were not searchable or accessible. The ASB matrix itself has been re-written and is currently out for comment. Moving forward, it is the opinion of the group that we should look to move the matrix onto the TuServe platform as currently it is under used by Patrol officers. This would then solve the issue of MOPI compliance.
Recommendation 4
By 31 December 2024, forces should:
- make sure all antisocial behaviour problem-solving plans fully specify the problem, contain sufficient detail, are effectively supervised; and
- evaluate all antisocial behaviour problem-solving plans for an outcome in line with National Police Chiefs’ Council Neighbourhood Policing Outcome and Performance Guidelines.
This forms part of the Community Policing performance management framework and has been recently supported by the development of the problem-solving and prevention tools.
Recommendation 8
By 30 September 2025, forces should give all neighbourhood policing teams antisocial behaviour training that makes best use of the College of Policing’s antisocial behaviour guidance and resources.
Our Community Policing Team have a well-established endorsed learning programme which is accredited by the CoP. This programme includes learning and development focused on problem-solving and ASB. However, we will use this opportunity to reassure ourselves that this training is cognisant of the most up to date guidance.
Report title Use of Force Excellence Report
Report for OPCC Performance & Governance Board December 2024
- Introduction & Purpose
This strategic report has been prepared to support an update to the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner around the excellence pillar of the PCC police and crime plan. This briefing update follows an original submission from the then Strategic lead for use of force – Supt Hob Hoque, and follows the HMICFRS PEEL inspection. The report will seek to answer the following key questions in relation to use of force activity across Bedfordshire to demonstrate the effectiveness and legitimacy of use of force across Bedfordshire;
- How do we measure outcomes and parity for Use of Force?
- What is the current position, are we improving in this area compared with previous periods?
- What is being done internally to improve awareness around appropriate Use of Force? How is this communicated to the community for their views and feedback?
- What does Use of Force Reporting Cover?
Since 2018 all 43 Home office Police forces in England and Wales have been required to submit an annual data return relating to use of force. This followed a review completed by former Chief Constable David Shaw on behalf of the then Home Secretary in 2014 relating to what data should be recorded and published in relation to use of force. The following criteria was set as part of the annual data return;
- A use of force represents one officers use of force on one person.
- One report could include multiple tactics, reasons for using force, impact factors, locations, and outcomes.
- A us of force is where a police officer uses any of the following force tactics on a single individual;
Restraint tactics
- handcuffing (compliant or non-compliant)
- limb and or body restraints
- ground restraint
Unarmed skills
- escorting individuals
- distraction strikes with hands and feet
- pressure point and joint locks
Use of other equipment
- baton (including where it was drawn but not used)
- irritant spray (including where it was drawn but not used)
- spit and bite guard
- shield (for example, individual struck or pushed with a shield)
Less lethal weapons
- conducted energy device (CED, for example Taser ®), including where it was discharged (direct contact mode, fired, angled drive-stun) or not discharged (drawn, aimed, red-dot, arced)
- attenuating energy projectile (AEP) (including whether it was drawn but not used, or used)
Firearms
- this refers to the use of conventional firearms, including where the firearm was aimed or fired
Other
- use of dogs (including where a dog was deployed but did not come into contact with (for example, bite) the individual)
- other and or improvised
To the year ending 31st March 2023 the force had recorded 6621 use of force records, this was an 8.3% increase from the previous reporting year. In the past rolling 12 months a total of 7231 use of force reports have been submitted. The use of force across Bedfordshire is tracked through a PowerBi platform that provides data covering the following key areas;
- Reason use of force used.
- Technique(s) used, and effectiveness of technique
- Impact factors
- Subject and repeat subject information
- Officer information including type of duty they were performing, whether they were single crewed, whether officer sustained an injury
- Proportionality rates relating to ethnicity, gender, age for all types of use of force
- Body worn video compliance rates
- Profile of day and time force utilised.
- Top officers for recording use of force
- Correlation between use of force recording and arrest rates
- Outcomes linked to use of force
Below is an example of the PowerBi platform with the reason for use of force page;
- HMICFRS Inspection
HMICFRS conducted a PEEL assessment with Bedfordshire Police during 2024. This inspection included a review of Bedfordshire Polices use of Police powers and treating the public fairly and respectfully. Included within this section of the inspection was a review of the force approach to use of force. The HMICFRS acknowledged that the force does have an internal and external scrutiny panel which is good practice, but also noted that the panels review the same use of force incidents which limits the volume of records subject of scrutiny.
The HMICFRS report, when published may highlight specific areas for improvement which can be addressed within the next report produced on this topic.
- New approach to Use of Force scrutiny and oversight
Supt 361 Ian Taylor appointed as force strategic lead for use of force, with CI Mike Chand tactical lead. The following actions have been taken since this
- A use of force strategy has been developed to cover the period 2024-2026. Please see below link to strategy.
- Establishment of a monthly internal use of force scrutiny meeting, chaired by the tactical lead Chief Inspector Mike Chand. This meeting focuses on the following key areas;
- Understanding levels of disproportionality where these exist, understanding the operational context, and commissioning deep dive reviews where required to assess whether this is proportionate, justified, and necessary.
- Understand and review use of force on juveniles, particularly those who are aged 12 or under.
- Continually review the officers that use the most force to ensure this is proportionate and necessary in the circumstances, undertaking deep dive reviews where required. It will also be important to understand the ethnicity of those subject of use of force.
- To monitor those officers on front facing teams who do not submit any use of force submissions (this may be because they aren’t submitting).
- Monitor the compliance rates for use of force submissions in comparison to arrest rates.
- Monitor use of force within custody setting given the impact of the Baird report relating to GMP.
- This meeting will review use of force records including BWV based upon analysis of data, to identify areas where reviews are required.
- The introduction of a mandatory use of force BWV review process for supervisors. This is captured on MS forms so that there is a central point that all reviews are gathered to ensure wider organisational learning, and understanding of use of force compliance across Bedfordshire.
Since this was introduced around 4 weeks ago, a total of 32 x supervisory reviews have been recorded on MS forms.
- Employee ideas solution submitted relating to use of artificial intelligence to scrutinise custody records and storm incident logs to identify where use of force is mentioned, cross referencing to use of force records, and where no use of force record is found automating a process to request that the officer completes a use of force record. Where this is not completed in a timely way then this would be escalated to a supervisor.
- Posters being placed in custody reminding officers to complete use of force forms where force has been used including compliant handcuffing, in addition custody sergeants will remind officers to complete use of force forms where a use of force is mentioned at point of booking in procedure.
- Subject matter expert review process being introduced. This will see all use of force of certain categories reviewed by subject matter experts. For example Taser use will be reviewed by Taser training department, Baton strike, PAVA, and spit hood use will be reviewed by officer safety trainers. To introduce independent scrutiny these reviews will be completed by other forces including Cambs, Herts, and Essex.
- Custody Inspectors dip sampling process included now, ensuring that there is improvised governance and oversight in relation to use of force within a custody setting.
- PowerBi platform launched and made available to all supervisors, this will enable them to track use of force by individual officers within their teams, with a request that this forms part of their performance reviews with staff to ascertain whether there are any training needs, areas of concern, or incidents of good practice.
- Quarterly strategic use of police powers meeting established which provides a strategic force meeting for S163 stops, use of force, and stop and search progress to be monitored.
- Improving data sharing with the community scrutiny panel, leading to improved scrutiny of use of force based on analysis of data to identify trends and patterns that the community are concerned about.
- BWV pre-record functionality has been activated on all BWV cameras across BCH, this ensures that the preceding 2 minute of footage is recorded once an officer presses record on BWV. This will ensure spontaneous incidents requiring use of force where BWV is activated latterly, will capture the preceding footage improving oversight and scrutiny through the internal and community scrutiny panels.
- Mandatory use of force supervisor reviews for all use of force submissions are being introduced on Tu-Serv, it is expected that this will go live in February 2025.
The expected outcomes of the above actions and focus on use of force are as follows;
- Increased recording of use of force, giving confidence that use of force is being accurately recorded in Bedfordshire.
- Improved scrutiny of use of force by first line supervisors, ensuring that officers use of force is monitored, giving the force and communities of Bedfordshire confidence that use of force is used fairly and effectively. Where scrutiny identifies that this is not happening confidence that internal processes will ensure this is managed appropriately, and escalated to PSD where necessary.
- Improved internal governance and oversight of use of force seeking to identify trends and themes that will help inform wider organisational learning and future officer safety training.
- Improved force understanding of disproportionality, undertaking deep dive reviews where proportionality exists, seeking to explain this, and where it cannot be explained seeking to eliminate it.
The above screenshot from PowerBi demonstrates the current composite proportionality rates for ethnicity in Bedfordshire.
- Increased community scrutiny of use of force, amplified through a communication strategy, with the aim of increasing public trust and confidence in use of force. This will also ensure that the feedback from the community to the force is increased. At present the panel review approximately 24 x use of force every year. The aim is to increase membership of the panel through work with the OPCC to enable the volume of reviews to double during 2025, and towards 100 per year by the end of 2026.
- Recommendations and Future Steps
The following additional recommendations and next steps are listed for consideration by Force executive board to support the ongoing improvement work specific to use of force, and police powers more broadly;
- To appoint a Police officer / staff equivalent to undertake the role of operational support for police powers. At present the operational support for use of force is provided through the force community cohesion team. However this is a role that is provided in conjunction with the additional responsibilities within community cohesion, meaning that full support cannot always be provided.
The role would support the following;
- monitoring for compliance of police power reviews
- to complete deep dive reviews commissioned through internal police power boards
- the tracking of supervisory reviews for all police powers ensuring that trends and patterns are identified
- Providing administrative support to community panels for all police power panels, including selection of videos, collation and administering of feedback
- The planning and coordination of police powers CPD across the organisation
- Supporting engagement with Bedfordshire communities specific to police powers, to increase public awareness of police powers, and public rights, alongside promoting the work of the community scrutiny panels
- Supporting policy and process reviews for police powers
- To invest in a suitable AI interface that enables compliance of police powers specifically use of force and S163 recording to be tracked and assessed alongside other force systems including Athena custody, Storm, PNC, and partner systems such as mental health admissions. This would provide an automated process that would assess internal recording compliance, enabling non-compliance to be identified and escalated to officers and supervisors. This would improve data quality, and compliance enabling the force to truly understand its use of police powers, leading to improved scrutiny.
- To invest in a suitable AI interface that would support supervisory reviews, enabling AI to identify police power examples for enhanced review based on analysis of trends, including proportionality rates, use by individual offices and departments. Enabling the scrutiny of police powers to be more targeted and data driven, enabling the force to address any issues in an efficient and effective way, whilst promoting this to communities to increase public confidence.
- Digital policing to invest in a new police powers review dashboard that enables the scrutiny of police powers both internally and externally to be tracked through one portal. This would enable the force and community to view what scrutiny has occurred, which areas and demographics this has covered, enabling any gaps to be identified in support of recommendation 3, which would then enable targeting of reviews to provide enhanced accountability.
- Consideration of investing in a new digital application for recording police powers that streamlines recording process. The current recording method in particular for use of force is an extremely long process via the Tu-Serv platform, this creates additional bureaucracy for staff and could be a contributing factor to missed recording opportunities. The development of a new digital platform that could include some automation would create efficiencies and reduce administrative burden for officers.
Improving Policing for Black People in Bedfordshire (IPfBP)
Introduction
The Improving Policing for Black People in Bedfordshire (IPfBP) initiative is strategically designed to enhance trust, equity, and legitimacy within the community, focusing on addressing systemic barriers impacting Black individuals in Bedfordshire. The initiative is guided by four strategic pillars, each with designated leads responsible for driving change through targeted objectives and deliverables.
Strategic Pillars of Delivery
- Culture and Workforce
Strategic Lead: Michelle Leggetter, People and Workforce Manager
Focuses on fostering an inclusive workforce culture, improving representation, and supporting the development of underrepresented groups.
- Powers and Procedures
Strategic Lead: Ian Taylor, Superintendent Local Policing
Ensures the appropriate use of policing powers such as stop and search, with an emphasis on transparency and community engagement.
- Trust and Reconciliation
Strategic Lead: Rebecca Croft, Communications Manager
Aims to build trust through community engagement, effective communication, and reconciliation initiatives
- Safety and Victimisation
Strategic Lead: Jaki Whittred, Chief Superintendent Local Policing (TBC)
Addresses safety concerns and victimisation within Black communities, with an emphasis on data-driven solutions and victim support.
Existing areas of work, targeted areas for Improvement, feedback and considerations
HMIC Area for improvement (AFI)
|
HMIC Area for improvement (AFI) |
Details |
IPfBP Pillar |
Feedback Received via |
Force Lead |
Key Governance (Internal) |
|
Question 1 |
Improve how we collect equality data?
Consideration: Strengthen equality data collection methods to better inform decision-making and assess disproportionality |
Pillar 4 - Safety and Victimisation
NB. Also, Pillar 1- Culture and Workforce |
Force Exec Away Day
Culture Intelligence Training feedback
Force Intelligence Board
Disparity Data Report
Surveys – Women in The Shades survey
-CoP Black workforce survey DSG Survey
|
ACC John Murphy |
Force Performance Board
Force Victims Board
Data Management, Security & Compliance Board
IPfBP Board
Strategic Culture Board
|
|
Question 2 |
What is being done internally to improve awareness around appropriate Use of Force? How is this communicated to the community for their views and feedback?
Consideration: Increase transparency in the use of force, expand community feedback mechanisms, and develop training to reduce bias |
Pillar 2 - Powers and Procedures |
Use of Force and Stop and Search Independent Scrutiny Panel
Engagement, Trust and Confidence Board/Working Group
Victims Performance Board
|
Supt Ian Taylor |
Engagement, Trust and Confidence Board/Working Group
Force Victims Board
Missing Persons (Silver)
Force Performance Board
IPfBP Board
|
|
Question 9 |
Do more to support the development and career progression of people from underrepresented groups
Consideration: Enhance career progression opportunities and retention strategies for underrepresented groups.
|
Pillar 1 - Culture and Workforce |
Talent Network- Chaired by DCC
WoCiP BCH – Becoming Ready programme
OP Hendrickson - retention/PSD
Culture Intelligence Training feedback
|
DCC Dan Vajzovic |
Strategic Culture Board
Wellbeing, Inclusion, and Culture Board
People & Postings Board |
Evaluation Framework
Creation of a structured evaluation framework is under development to assess progress across all pillars. Developed using local and national feedback, including academic research.
The framework will include:
- Objectives and Deliverables: Clear, measurable goals aligned with each pillar.
- Governance Integration: Regular updates via key governance boards.
- Output and Outcome Measures: Both qualitative and quantitative metrics to evaluate success and impact.
Cultural Intelligence (CQ) Awareness Programmes:
Plans for the roll-out of continued CQ awareness programmes. The key themes from the seminars that have taken place since June 2023 are:
- Leadership – importance of first line leaders being CQ aware – These have been fed into Leadership training and new programmes have now started to be delivered to support supervisors and managers to improve their knowledge and confidence. Also, a bespoke CQ training programme targeting Inspectors and Chief Inspectors was co-designed with officers to support the force’s leadership training objective.
- Barriers to challenging behaviour – potential barriers to challenging – As above and we are reviewing how we deliver Upstander training.
- Team Bedfordshire – Need to work on how we ensure that Beds officers and staff across collaborated functions feel part of Bedfordshire.
- Inclusion / understanding difference – Feedback has been fed into culture reviews
- Other comments - Raised with CQ team after the sessions, some of these demonstrate why the CQ sessions have been needed, all are fed back and will form part of planning for the next phase.
- There is a lot of focus on race within the organisation, and this can create a divide between and within groups, several people have spoken asked if there can be more focus on LGBTQ+, religion, neurodiversity. How their political views may align and raising awareness for other protected characteristics that they feel often go forgotten.
- Wellbeing and anxiety within their teams, asking for guidance on managing relationships, particularly when these are not going well.
- Religious and political views and how they can express these safely within the force.
- Issues with accessing dyslexia assessments, and work placed adjustments.
- There is some positive work that has come from the sessions, the new custody block has been identified as an area where relationships between teams, line managers have improved due to the layout and visibility of the design.
- There has also been some positive examples where new staff have joined and they truly feel they can be themselves. Where they have been embraced and their innovative ideas explored.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Workforce Self-Assessment
An ongoing self-assessment initiative led by the DEI team evaluates 10 key workforce areas, including recruitment, leadership, and employee engagement.
Timeline:
- Stage 1 (Dec 2024): Initial data collection and commentary.
- Stage 2 (Dec 2024 - Jan 2025): Facilitated discussions to finalize assessments.
Proposed key initiatives planned for the next 12 months include:
- PRAP Evaluation Framework implementation
- Examine the latest version of Bedfordshire’s Disparity evaluation report
- Benchmarking - begin assessment fieldwork
- Community PRAP Independent Scrutiny Oversight Board recruitment
- Commence PRAP Community roadshow
- AWS – Innovation work, Trust, confidence and legitimacy
- Exploration of AI bias and facial recognition etc. in collaboration with the Strategic Business Analyst (Futures)
- Wider force training on Black history
- Distribution of 5,000 QR code cards for stop and search feedback
- Create PRAP Information videos for the intranet. Highlighting some of the IPfBP work
- CQ Training - start a new targeted phase of delivery in the New Year i.e. CQ Training seminars targeting patrol and control room staff
- Work with FCR to support their diverse recruitment drive
- Co-design RCRP - response trigger reporting
- Co-design Missing Team - response trigger reporting
- Partnership working with University of Bedfordshire - Race Equality Week on 5th February 2025
Considerations for FEB
In order to drive forward the IPfBP agenda, the following recommendations are presented for the Force Executive Board’s (FEB) approval:
- Evaluation Framework Ratification: Approval of the proposed framework to formalize performance assessments
- 2. Futures Planning: Authorisation for the Legitimacy and Public Service team to explore data bias and other emerging challenges
- Outcome Assessment: Support for continued force-wide benchmarking and disparity evaluation to refine strategies and interventions
Conclusion
The Improving Policing for Black People in Bedfordshire agenda demonstrates a commitment to equity, trust, and legitimacy through targeted actions and strategic governance. With the implementation of the evaluation framework and planned initiatives, this force business area aims to achieve measurable improvements in workforce diversity, community trust, and operational transparency.
PERFORMANCE AND GOVERNANCE BOARD
TUESDAY 29 OCTOBER 2024
Present:
John Tizard, Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC)
Dan Vajzovic, Temporary Chief Constable – Police Service (CC)
In Attendance:
Phil Wells, Chief Finance Officer – Police Service/OPCC (PW)
John Murphy, Assistant Chief Constable – Police Service (JM)
Adam Ball, Assistant Chief Constable – Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (AB)
Ian Simmons, Detective Ch. Supt. - Joint Protective Services (IS)
Sharn Basra, Chief Executive – OPCC (SB)
Lara Lewis, Staff Officer – PCC (LL)
Emma Punter, Staff Officer – ACC (EP)
Item 1: Welcome & PCC Remarks
PCC welcomes everyone to meeting, in particular Sharn Basra as new CEO
and Dan Vajzovic as Temporary Chief Constable. The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed PCC said he wants to review the reporting on community policing and in
particular officer numbers. This will be discussed at local policing spotlight.
Item 2: Actions
No actions to note.
Item 3.1: Crime performance figures with restricted detail
JM presented a report on Performance across Bedfordshire Police. PCC thanked JM for in depth report on performance. He then asked JM and DV questions based on the report
PCC asked which crime types have significantly increased?
JM – domestic burglary has seen 30% increase in North. Now more than half of the total in the whole county. Could be driven by ways OCGs are operating. Commercial burglary increase due to crackdown on shoplifting.
PCC asked about increase in shoplifting being due to more reporting?
It was agreed that the local policing spotlight report would include analysis of shoplifting statistics.
PCC asked when we will see results from implementation of new drugs focus desk?
JM – 12 months to see impact on other crime types
PCC asked if arrival times as positive as phone answering times?
CC - Response team is not meeting 15 min target for immediate incidents. Their average response time is 21 mins. PCC said that this needed to change but more detail was required on variation across the county and that he would expect more details and plans for improvement. This is to feature as part of the local policing/patrol spotlight at the next meeting.
PCC asked how does response times compare around the county?
This is to feature as part of the local policing/patrol spotlight at the next meeting.
PCC asked what improvements are being made and are we seeing results?
This is to feature as part of the local policing/patrol spotlight at the next meeting.
ACTION: Include Patrol report in local policing spotlight and impact it is having.
PCC noted his observations of performance over the last 6x months including his time in tenure and it suggested the Patrol function were experiencing great demand and struggling with throughput.
ACTION: Additions to be made to shoplifting dashboard ahead of local policing spotlight
ACTION: April interim report on drugs desk progress.
ACTION: Include hate crime report and results on the above in local policing spotlight.
Item 4.1 Collaboration updates – JPS
IS presented report on BCH JPS.
PCC thanked IS for report and noted that firearms licensing is a continual problem.
PCC asked if the Kaba court case has had any impact on morale?
IS – at the time but now resolved.
PCC asked - Are we any closer to resolving firearms licensing issues and speeding up process as well as the customer service?
CC – started after Plymouth incident when process was strengthened. Better now in Beds than in Cambs and Herts. Average 160 day wait for new application. 100 day wait for renewals. Need early applications and manage expectations – 5-6 month delay needs to be communicated. We are not currently covering our own costs so cost of certificates could be
increased. CC has been monitoring customer service and complaints have reduced.
IS - technology is out of date and largely manual. PCC said he expects the service to improve.
ACTION: JM to share briefing paper with PCC on firearms licensing and for service
Item 4.2: Collaboration updates - Eastern Region Special Operations Unit
PCC thanked AB for report.
PCC asked – what are the next stages of the staff survey?
AB – addressing transparency under engagement strategy.
PCC asked – How effective do you think CT Prevent is?
AB - National lead, well engaged SPOCs, strong presence in Beds and Luton. Good referrals from local authorities and from health.
PCC asked – how much threat from right wing are you seeing in Beds?
AB – reviewing training package to help partners identify risks - The national training package is too complex and needs to be refined and delivered to front line teams. Community engagement via local authority.
PCC asked – are there concerns about extremism and SOC in Bedford prison?
AB – working group in place with some good results. Need to do more on both.
JM - Now prisoners going to Peterborough so working out how we can improve information sharing and manage prison security risk.
ACTION: PCC to visit ERSOU and JPS teams again with specific focus for each meeting
Item 4.3: Collaboration updates: BCH functions including HR/ICT
PCC noted report tabled.
PCC asked about recruitment and retention. CC- Not a cause for concern. Attrition lower than previous years and improving against national trend. Implementing better mentorship and training. Taking on feedback from HMIC. Most leavers leaving policing not
transferring to other services.
CC - HMIC point to incomplete use of 1-1 in all teams.
PCC asked about long term sickness.
JM – focussing on supporting officers on restricted duties.
PW- reducing long term absences
ACTION: PCC asked for detailed reports on recruitment, attrition and long term absence at the spotlight P&G meeting on excellent policing
Item 5:Risks
PW - Finances for 2025/26 onwards. Funding was added to the risk register
Item 6: Chief Constable Complaints
No complaints to note. No reviews to note
Item 7: Quarterly Reporting efficiency – Finance, Budget and efficiency.
PW presented report on revenue budget monitoring.
• the Police Service is forecasting £800k overspend and the OPCC is forecast is for a break even outcome
• the police service overspend is primarily due to pay awards nor being fully funded by government
• However there no one off costs in the forecast for OPCC restructuring so this will need to be addressed in next forecast PCC expects these costs to be in this financial year.
• Capital budget is forecast is on target. This budgeted expenditure includes upgrades to LPS custody suite and roof
• The budget is being prepared on the assumption of
• a 2% pay increase in 2025/26
• a £10 precept increase on band D council tax but as yet no detail of the government’s funding announcement nor policy on precept capping
• PBB is underway across the police service; it has been completed for ERSOU with no reductions in budget; and is about to commence at BCH.
PCC asked about drawing on reserves. He is content with some drawing down of reserves in 2024/25 but would expect them to be stabilised in 2025/26. PCC asked if there will be funding for a major operation in Bedford ongoing and for dangerous dog storage. PCC’s requirement for the police service 2025/26 budget submission to him.
He requires a budget proposal based on a Band D £10 council tax increase (this is in line with last year’s precept cap) showing three-year trajectory. He wishes the CC to prepare business cases for incremental increases in expenditure in £500k tranches and to identify opportunities more collaboration with other police services and other local public bodies.
• prepare a budget for 2025/26 following PBB assuming a Band D £10 council tax increase showing a three year trajectory
• accompany this submission with a comprehensive risk analysis highlighting the greatest risks and mitigation
- explanations for significant reductions or increases to specific departmental budgets and the risks associated with these
- areas of serious under-resourcing
- proposals for improving productivity further
- benchmarking where possible
- commentary on how the budget and its component elements will contribute to implementation of the Police and Crime Plan, and national government targets
• prepare business cases for incremental increases in expenditure in £500k tranches
• identify opportunities more collaboration with other police services and other local public bodies.
ACTION: 2025/26 budget preparation be based on the above requirement
set by the PCC
AOB
The PCC and CC reported that the HMICFRS hot debrief following the
PEEL inspection closely matched the police service’s self assessment
ACTION: the HMICFRS report will shape future P&G agendas especially
spotlight scrutiny.
PERFORMANCE AND GOVERNANCE BOARD
FRIDAY 20TH SEPTEMBER 2024
Present:
John Tizard, Police and Crime Commissioner (JT)
Trevor Rodenhurst, Chief Constable (TR) – Police Service (TR)
In Attendance:
Dan Vajzovic, Deputy Chief Constable – Police Service (DV)
Phil Wells, Chief Finance Officer – Police Service/PCCO (PW)
Alex House, Temporary Superintendent Local Policing – Police Service (AH)
Lara Lewis, Acting Staff Officer – OPCC (LL)
Katie Beaumont, Head of Governance and Transparency - PCCO (KB)
Samantha Denness, Performance and Accountability Manager – PCCO (SD)
Lara Lewis, Staff Officer – PCC) (LL)
Item 1: Welcome & PCC Remarks
JT noted apologies from Wayne Humberstone (Acting OPCC CEO) and John Murphy (Assistant Chief Constable) and welcomed Alex House to the meeting. The minutes of the previous meeting were discussed and agreed as an accurate record subject to the following amendments.
• Bedfordshire Police have been rated “good” for serious and organised crime (not serious crime as stated in the previous minutes).
• Bedfordshire Police was one a few police services that did not make any arrests for criminal unrest or rioting over the summer.
JT thanked the Police Service for all the work that was done to reassure local communities who were under threat during the period of national civil unrest. The Police and Crime Panel had asked him to convey the Panel’s thanks to the CC. JT also thanked the police officers and staff who were involved in the murder case in Luton the previous week. This has been a traumatic experience for all involved and TR assured the meeting that additional welfare support has been put in place to support those involved.
JT and PW reported that they will be presenting a detailed financial report to the
Police and Crime Plan at the next Panel meeting.
Item 2: Actions
JT advised that the only action from the previous meeting was the Drug Market Report which he has now received. JT asked how often this is updated and TR replied that it is currently being updated but the one the PCC has will not be much different to the revised version.
Item 3: Performance Prevention Spotlight:
TR emphasised that this time last year the role AH occupies did not exist and to have someone of AH’s rank to be dedicated to prevention is a signal that Bedfordshire Police takes prevention very seriously. JT acknowledged this and said that this chimes with the Police and Crime Plan.
AH provided a presentation to the meeting.
JT thanked AH for the comprehensive report and referred to earlier conversations he has had with AH.
JT asked if the strategy is successful what would success look like in 5 years
time?
AH advised this would be to embed problem solving in staff Performance Development Review’s etc but the ultimate test would be that;
• there are reduced levels of reported crimes
• demand for police resources is lower
• specifically violent crime including MVAWG has reduced.
JT agreed that it is important that the right systems and processes are in place to
monitor and measure impact.
JT asked how will residents notice the benefits? AH advised that it would show in
the figures and hopefully a visible sign that where crime was a problem is now
less of a problem. The challenge may be communicating this as people would not
always be able to see the change. JT said that the public must see and experience
the benefit of the programme.
JT advised that any cultural change is difficult and asked AH and TR about this.
He asked if police officers and staff recognise prevention is as important as the
resolution of crime.
JT asked AH how effective the partnership across the public sector including the wider criminal justice system is in respect of this prevention programme. He said that he would wish to see tangible commitment and contributions and not simply strategic “buy in”.
AH advised the cultural shift within the Police Service had to be mirrored by a cultural shift across the system. He emphasised that this is the beginning of a long journey. The key is to prioritise prevention and many system leaders are now starting to see the benefit. JT agreed and he said that prevention is one of the core missions of the Police and Crime Plan and it is vital that the Police Service prevention programme is aligned with the Police and Crime Plan.
AH had contributed to the development of the Plan so this is in train. TR thanked AH on the work that he has done and advised that this is starting to stand Bedfordshire in good stead. Traditionally policing has put prevention as a neighbourhood activity, but it must be and is now a Police Service wide priority and should be embraced by every unit in the service.
JT said that he wishes to see more investment in prevention and that there should be significant rate of return on investment. He wants to build the business case in investment in prevention for the whole public sector. JT thanked AH for all the work that he is doing which is very impressive. TR agreed and explained that this is something we need to continue supporting.
JT asked how we compare with other Forces around this work? TR advised that in Hertfordshire the Police Service strapline is ‘Prevention First’ and there has been much investment, TR also mentioned Merseyside and Derbyshire. AH said that he was in contact with these and other police services In concluding this item JT asked for:
• a business case to be developed and presented to him for potential further investment in prevention both by the police service but also across the wider system
• a report on what the outcomes and impact of the programme will be in 3 and 5 years
• a meeting with AH to ensure that the work AH is leading is aligned with the Police and Crime Plan missions and that it feeds into the mission board
• his involvement in conversations with partners to develop a sustainable whole system approach
Item 4: AOB
The next Performance and Governance Board meeting is on the 29th October
2024.
PERFORMANCE AND GOVERNANCE BOARD
THURSDAY 29 AUGUST 2024
Present:
John Tizard, Police and Crime Commissioner (JT) - PCCO
Trevor Rodenhurst, Chief Constable (TR) – Police Service
In Attendance:
John Murphy, Assistant Chief Constable – Police Service (JM)
Phil Wells, Chief Finance Officer – Police Service/OPCC (PW)
Fiona Dawson, Staff Officer – Police Service (FD)
Wayne Humberstone, A/CEO – OPCC (WH)
Lara Lewis, Acting Staff Officer – OPCC (LL)
Katie Beaumont, Head of Governance and Transparency - OPCC (KB)
Gemma Mccormack, Executive Assistant - Minutes
Apologies:
Dan Vajzovic, Deputy Chief Constable – Police Service (DV)
Item 1: Welcome
JT welcomed everyone to the meeting, he reminded the board that we are now
working to the revised format for governance with quarterly in dept performance
scrutiny and a spotlight review of individual police and crime plan missions
monthly. The minutes of the previous meeting which was held on the 23rd July 2024were
agreed to be published.
Item 2:
2.1 TOR amendments (to be agreed):
The revised Terms of Reference that had previously been circulated were agreed.
2.2 Police and Crime Plan Update:
JT informed the board that the Plan is in its final stage of drafting and will be available early the following week in advance of it being submitted to the Police and Crime Panel for its meeting on the 17th September 2024. He thanked TR and his executive team and the PCC’s team for their contributions and development of the Plan.
Over 1,000 responses have been received which support the key missions and 90% plus for all the key objectives.
2.3 Civil Disorder and Riots:
TR briefed the board on the work undertaken by Bedfordshire Police to provide reassurance to local communities, to ensure that adequate resources were available should there be any disorder and to contribute to the National Police capacity.
JT expressed his thanks to TR and the Police Service for the work they had carried out to provide reassurance to communities during the period of unrest. He said the level of trust and recognition of the police role was a testimony to the time investment made by Bedfordshire Police to build good relationships with all communities over the past number of years. It was impressive that Bedfordshire was only 1 in only 5 Forces who did not have to arrest anyone in connection with criminality and disorder during this period of unrest. He asked that TR passed on to the Police his personal thanks and what he believes would be the publics appreciation on the work taken not least a time when some leave and rest days
had to be cancelled.
2.4 Actions from previous meetings:
Actions were reviewed and updates given to JT. Serious Crime prevention orders update to be brought back in the serious crime report in February 2025.
2.5 Information Document:
The Information document was agreed for publication.
Item 3: 3.1 Serious Crime Spotlight:
JM presented the paper which been put together by Detective Superintendent Dani Baily and this had already been considered by Force Executive Board the previous week.
HMICFRS has recently inspected Beds Police in respect of tacking serious crime and has graded the Police Service ‘Good’.
JM highlighted a number of aspects in the report including that Bedfordshire has one of the highest level of disrupting OCG’s and county lines Nationally. He also reminded the board that criminality related to drugs is one of the strongest causes of serious and organised crime as well as having an effect on other crimes such as shoplifting and antisocial behaviour.
JM reported the statistics show that there are 66 mapped county line areas in
the country compared with when BOSON was established. (when was BOSON
established). TR reminded the board that Boson and Costello are funded by a
special grant and this must be retained.
TR also talked about the clear hold and build strategy including the latest operation in Biggleswade. Bedfordshire is fortunate that Mark Lay (National Drugs Co-Ordinator Lead - NPCC) chairs the Bedfordshire Serious Harm Board and helped to develop the 10 year drugs strategy. It is important to understand the nature of the drug market in more detail and JT asked for a copy of the drug market report for the county.
Action: JT to receive a copy of the Drug Market Report.
JT thanked JM and TR for the report and their commentary on it. He asked a number of questions including;
• How we develop and strengthen partnership working not only to tackle
serious crime and its causes?
• How can we be assured that appropriate resources are allocated to
tackle serious crime?
• What further measure can be introduced to tackle serios crime?
JT requested for a further update to be provided at the board meeting in February 2025 asked for this to include a deeper analysis of causes, trajectory and allocation of resources.
JT asked what the further implications for CID would be when the Drugs Focus Desk is in place? JM assured JT that there is an operational challenge and we would need to reallocate resources but the knock of effect for CID would be fairly minimal.
JT stated he will pursue with other partners a process for a better public understanding of serious crime particularly drug related crime and to make the case with partners to commit to invest joint measures to reduce this level of criminality which in turn will reduce the pressure on their future budgets. JT thanked JM for the report and asked JM to pass on his thanks to Dani Bailey.
3.2 Report by Exception:
None.
Item 4: Finance
4.1 Capital & Revenue monitoring (moved from July):
PW presented the report. It was noted that although there are some overspends in both the police service and PCC’s office in the first quarter (due to the police summer pressures and PCC’s office process around the departure of the previous CEO), PW is confident that the year end position will align with the original budget. Following questions JT thanked PW for the update and the report was received.
Item 5:AOB
Custody discussion:
Discussion regarding disproportionality with searches as highlighted by the
Children’s Commissioners recent report.
JT thanked TR for the information and analysis on this and was provided
information that work is being completed in this space and a further report will
be brought to the January 2025 Performance and Governance Board.
Date of Next Meeting: 20th September 2024
PERFORMANCE AND GOVERNANCE BOARD
THURSDAY 23 JULY 2024
Present:
John Tizard, Police and Crime Commissioner (JT) - PCCO
Trevor Rodenhurst, Chief Constable (TR) – Police Service
In Attendance:
Dan Vajzovic, Deputy Chief Constable – Police Service (DV)
John Murphy, Assistant Chief Constable – Police Service (JM)
Phil Wells, Chief Finance Officer – Police Service/OPCC (PW)
Wayne Humberstone, A/CEO – OPCC (WH)
Katie Beaumont, Head of Governance and Transparency - OPCC (KB)
Pauline Stewart, Executive Assistant - Minutes
Item 1: Welcome Chairs opening remarks
PCC welcomed everyone to the meeting.
Apologies: none
No matters arising
Item 2: 2.1 Actions from previous meetings
Minutes from the 27 June meeting agreed as accurate, following the correction of one amendment – ACC apologies. JM did attend the meeting. There are no actions from the previous meeting to be considered. It was agreed to publish minutes and papers from the meeting held on the 27th June 2024.
Item 3: 3.1 Crime Performance Figures with Restricted Detail
Performance Focussed Performance and Governance
The ACC provided an overview of the crime levels in the Police Service.
• There has been a significant increase in demand relevant to the summer spike.
• In Q1, there were 1500 more crimes reported than last year, with an increase in demand geographically across all crime functions. The Analysts who looked at the data have stated that it is not mirrored in Cambridgeshire or Hertfordshire, and it is not a national trend. In
comparison to last year when calling 101 there was a high abandonment rate.
• There is a big effort to record crime coming in and it has created a shift in the baseline. The next couple of months will provide the necessary data to measure.
• The solved crime rate for Bedfordshire is good at 11.8% Q1, solved 217 offences, getting more and solving more. The outcome rate and solved rate is proportionate of crimes.
The PCC asked several questions about trends in crime, crime resolution,
staff/officer morale and welfare.
Resolved
That the update by the ACC be noted.
3.2 Spotlight Report – Force National Contributions
The DCC referred to the National Contributions Spotlight Report, he reported and provided a summary of the report. The PCC sought more information regarding appropriately promoting Operation Costello to support retention of Home Office grant funding and requested a further report.
The CC to send the report around Op Costello pre the HMIC assessment to the
PCC. Action CC
Right Care, Right Person (RCRP)
The PCC said that the ICS Chair and CEO had been complementary about the collaborative approach and developing the RCRP when they met recently. The PCC sought assurance that stakeholders are to be involved at the next phase regarding the impact on resources, health service and mental health service. The PCC asked for an evidence based review report.
Action Exec Team
The PCC also said that there should be no gaps or risks for members of the public. Working collaboratively with agencies, RCRP needs to be safe. Resolved subject to the actions set out above.
3.3 MVAWG Paper
The ACC presented the report overview.
There were over 1000 cases in July and there is a steady solved rate. Emerald are dealing with a third of the cases. Six Soteria pillars adopted within the Vulnerability and Exploitation Board. Specific groups formed to deal with op Soteria to deal with rape. Discussions took place and reassurance received.
Resolved.
3.4 HMICFRS Update Paper
The DCC presented a report on the HMICFRS Police Service future visit. The PCC to be kept updated throughout the inspection.
Resolved
Item 4: 4.1 Risk (Change in risk OPCC and the Police Service)
The PCC provided recent feedback from Officers regarding the pressures and demand placed on them.
Resolved.
Item 5: 5.1 Collaboration Updates:
The DCC provided an overview of the report.
Joint Protective Services (JPS) – Quarterly Update
• JCOB Performance Report – Cameras, Tickets and Collisions (CTC), looking at costs and changing to electronic tickets to save money.
• Firearms Licencing – Additional resources have been put into the Licencing Team to deal with demand. The PCC provided feedback from recent conversations with the public and there is a loss of confidence from those seeking renewal of licences and delays.
The CC provided reassurance. There is an increase in resources, key roles and the operating system is more efficient. The customers experience will change. Priorities are for those with professional / business needs. DCC will take it forward with the National Farmers Union.
Action DCC
A discussion took place regarding the RPU and mobile units. East Region Special Operations Unit Report. The DCC provided an overview of the ROCU report and update on key appointments including Hannah Wilkinson, T/Head of Counter Terrorism Intelligence Unit in the Eastern region.
The PCC raised the issue that the public do not understand the work provided in the Eastern Region, ROCU and CT at a local level. Having an understanding would support the precept and budget. An appropriate comms to be drafted. Action DCC
The PCC was assured that the ERSOU is high performing. The effective system is strong nationally with the appropriate capacity and the right level of policing. Colleagues work collaboratively across the region to keep residents safe.
Item 6: 6.1: Chief Constable Complaints
No complaints were raised.
6.2: Reviews
The OPCC has received 6 reviews since the June Board. 4 reviews are outstanding but no concerns at this time.
Item 7: 7.1 Budget / Efficiency
To be discussed at the next meeting - August 2024.
Item 8: Reflection
The ACC will keep the PCC sited on updates regarding the prison system, working through risks and reoffending with the multi-agency intelligence partnership. The PCC gave thanks to the Exec for their key objectives for the Police and Crime Plan. The PCC explained that the OPCC are in the process of recruiting a new CEO. The CC is invited to be on the interview panel.
Thank PG for her support on the Performance and Governance board as she is
moving on from the OPCC.
Date of next Meeting - 29 August 2024
REPORT FOR THE POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER FOR BEDFORDSHIRE
PERFORMANCE & GOVERNANCE BOARD
Date of meeting: Tuesday 23rd July 2024
Agenda item : 3.3
Report title: MVAWG paper - Male Violence Against Women and Girls
There is an associated presentation alongside this paper which can be delivered on request, prepared by Detective Chief Superintendent Zara Brown (Strategic Lead for MVAWG)
Executive Summary
Bedfordshire Police, in the national context of high-profile incidents in recent years, has continued to enhance its effectiveness in relation to male violence against women and girls, and within that, children, in the wider context.
Specific governance processes have been introduced within Bedfordshire that ensure that continuous improvement, both for the public of Bedfordshire but also the officers and staff within the service, is achieved and appropriate scrutiny and support is applied.
Under the lead of Chief Superintendent Brown, the Service is seeing a positive trend with regards to successful outcomes but recognises that further work needs to be done to continually enhance this position. The further work is both for policing but also has requirements from our wider public service providers within Bedfordshire.
1. National Context
1.1 The need for reform in relation to VAWG came as a result of high-profile incidents including the tragic murder of Sarah Everard. The need for reform was voiced in 2021 and in December 2021, the NPCC and College of Policing published a new VAWG framework. The national framework for delivery of Policing Violence Against Women and Girls was launched in February 2024. Most recently, the Angiolini Report has been published and provides a series of recommendations.
1.2 The national statistics show that every three days in the UK, a woman is killed by a man. Of all recorded crime in England and Wales, domestic abuse makes up 18% of this total figure and in the year ending March 2022 there were 194,683 sexual offences, of which, 70,330 were Rape.
1.3 A HMICFRS report in 2021 identified that the police don’t always investigate VAWG related offences effectively, victims of VAWG offences aren’t given consistent support through the Criminal Justice System.
The police need the capacity and capability to cope with the changing demand. In addition, multi-agency roles and responsibilities need to be clear and consistent with relentless and consistent focus on protecting victims and bringing perpetrators to justice. Low prosecution rates in cases involving VAWG are indefensible.
2. Bedfordshire Police
2.1 As part of the strategic threat and risk assessment associated with MVAWG for Bedfordshire it highlights that the key offences that are biggest threat to women, girls and children are shown below:
- Domestic Abuse
- Rape and Serious Sexual Offending
- Sexual Abuse and Exploitation
- Tech Enabled VAWG such as Online Stalking and Harassment
All of these crime types feature in the priority crime types in Bedfordshire’s control strategy and therefore are reviewed at the Force Performance Board, chaired by the ACC, on a monthly basis.
2.2 The specific performance data for the above crime types between 01/07/23 – 30/06/24 are shown below.
- 11,109 VAWG crimes were recorded, an average of 926 crimes per month (This was an increase of 254 on the previous year 22/23)
- In the same period, 6375 MVAWG offences were recorded, an average of 531 per month.
- VAWG crimes had a positive outcome rate of 7.28% and MVAWG the rate was 11.18% for the 12m period.
- In the 12m period there were 809 VAWG offences with a positive outcome (outcomes: 1-4, 6-8, see appendix 1 for detail).
2.3 The top 3 VAWG crime groups are listed below:
- Violence with Injury – totalled 282 (34.9%) of the 809 outcomes.
- Stalking and Harassment – totalled 210 (26.0%) of the 809 outcomes.
- Violence without Injury – totalled 109 (13.5%) of the 809 outcomes.
2.4 The data also highlights that the highest recorded crime groups for VAWG and MVAWG were Stalking and Harassment, Violence with injury, and Violence without Injury. In addition it also showed that for the 12 month period between 01/07/23 – 30/06/23, people of a black ethnicity were more likely to be a victim of VAWG offences compared to those of a white ethnicity.
Table 1 below summarises this performance data in chart format;
3. Governance of MVAWG within Bedfordshire Police
3.1 The Force has 4 specific governance boards, chaired at Chief Superintendent or Superintendent level, providing oversight and scrutiny, as shown below, these being in addition to the regular review at Force Performance Board and Force Executive Board overview.
- MVAWG Strategic Board
- MVAWG Tactical Board
- Domestic Abuse Tactical Board
- Operation BLUEBELL
3.2 Below these specific Boards the work relating to MVAWG is split into 6 specific pillars and numerous MVAWG workstreams which can be summarised as:
- Pillar 1 – Suspect Focused Investigations
- Pillar 2 – Targeting & Disrupting repeat offenders.
- Pillar 3 – Victim Engagement utilising a Procedural Justice Approach
- Pillar 4 – Officer / Staff Learning / Development & welfare.
- Pillar 5 – Use of Data and Performance Management
- Pillar 6 – Use of technology and digital material re VAWG offending
Workstreams.
- Stalking and harassment
- DA, rape and SSO
- Op Soteria
- Other key MVAWG initiatives
- Education and diversion initiatives
- #BedsJogOn Initiative
- NTE engagement with BELADS
- Increased involvement of Hub Staff regarding Clare’s and Sarah’s Law disclosures.
- Expansion of the Survivors voice and listening circles
- Op Bluebell
4. Next Steps
4.1 Whilst Bedfordshire Police has made some real progress because of a specific focus on MVAWG, there are some key steps for Bedfordshire Police and the wider system to focus on to further enhance the response, to both prevent and investigate these types of crime within our communities.
- Reset the Delivery plan focus over the next twelve months, moving to the six Soteria pillars, adopted within the Vulnerability and Exploitation Board.
- Concentrate on Delivery of Soteria transformational plan / Merge with VAWG plan.With a completion date in early 2025 once the actions from the transformational plan have been considered and delivered.
- Continue with focus on High Risk / High Harm Perpetrators.
- Seek further funding opportunities. It has been recognised through the Police and Race Action Plan that there are key areas of the community who are affected by VAWG and underreporting occurs. Support in this area to continue to fund key supporters of VAWG such as EBONISTA Project and NINE RED Presents has seen a rise in community confidence following the most recent VAWG conference held at Bedfordshire Police.
- Pilot key workstreams across VAWG i.e. The Impact on the use of Victim Personal Statements throughout the journey of a Rape report.
- Understand high performing / Soteria adopted forces though feedback from the National Centre.
- Concentrate on Resource and Retention through the Detective recruitment and retention portfolio for key vulnerability areas, such as Emerald, RASSO and Child Protection teams.
PERFORMANCE AND GOVERNANCE BOARD
THURSDAY 27 JUNE 2024
Present:
John Tizard, Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC)
Trevor Rodenhurst, Chief Constable (CC)
Dan Vajzovic, Deputy Chief Constable – Police Service (DCC)
John Murphy, Assistant Chief Constable – Police Service (ACC)
Phil Wells, Chief Finance Officer – Police Service / OPCC (CFO)
Wayne Humberstone, A/CEO – OPCC (CEO)
Katie Beaumont, Head of Governance and Transparency - OPCC (KB)
Samantha Denness, Performance and Accountability Manager – OPCC (SD) - Online
ITEM 1 Welcome Minutes of meeting held and for agreement and matters arising Chairs opening remarks
PCC welcomed everyone to the meeting. PCC reminded the CC of the format he wishes to see moving forward albeit recognised that it was only 3 weeks since the Board last met and through discussion agreed that the performance framework for the delivery of the new Police and Crime Plan would be dictate how the CC reported to this Board moving forward.
Apologies:
ACC
ITEM 2 Actions
2.1 Actions from previous meetings
Minutes from the 3 June meeting were agreed as accurate.
No matters arising.
No actions for this meeting.
2.2 Information Document for Publication
No issues
ITEM 3 Performance
3.1 Spotlight Report – transparency and open communication
DCC referred to PCP priority 6 Spotlight Report (previously discussed at the Joint Audit Committee (JAC) at which the PCC was present.
As part of the discussions on the report the PCC requested that:
• The CC and himself are joined up in relation to community engagement in the development of his plan;
• That the CC considers the different scrutiny panels in operation to ensure that the make-up of the panels are representative, that there is no duplication and that the findings of the panels and the learning taken are reported into the Board once or twice a year.
Resolved
That the report be noted and the CC consider PCC’s requests above.
ITEM 4 Performance
4.1 Crime performance figures with restricted detail
The DCC provided an overview of the performance pack included on the agenda. In doing so he drew out:
• Crime recording for the All Crime category has increased when compared to this time last year. However, Bedfordshire is the 13th safest county in the country. The majority of the
increase related to volume crime for 24/25 for which some large events, both one-off and extraordinary, played a part such as Radio One’s Big Weekend, the Euros and Carnivals.
There is an upward trend in reporting Rape, Hate Crimes, CSE online, Theft of Motor vehicles, and Public Order crimes over the past 12 months to May 24. This also shows greater confidence in the reporting of such crimes.
• The solved crime rate for Bedfordshire is currently at 11.4% - solved crime with the national average currently sitting at 13.5%. However, both of these are a 12 month rolling
average and Bedfordshire is seeing a month by month increase and were currently at 14%.
The PCC sought more information on statistics with previous years (month by month); and that the national comparisons are not absolutes but provide a trigger for further enquiry.
The PCC thanked the DCC for the report and overview and asked for a greater understanding of the solved crime rate for different crime types and their comparisons with other Police Services nationally.
The PCC sought more information regarding the annual demand, planning in advance and to see how 2024 compares with previous years.
He also asked for assurance in relation to the expected summer demand and the CC and DCC explained the plan for the coming months.
The PCC also took assurance that the CC was focusing his improvement in the right areas and that resources were being allocated appropriately but asked that the CC focus on:
• Reducing the number of outstanding suspects;
• Reducing the response time to those incidents requiring an immediate response; and
• How the summer policing demand can be met in future years on a more sustainable footing.
Resolved
That the report be noted and in doing so the CC pay attention to the areas highlighted above by the PCC.
4.1 Risk (Change in risk OPCC and the Police Service)
The CFO explained that both Risk Registers of the OPCC and Police Service had recently been discussed at the Joint Audit Committee and that both risk registers would need to be reviewed in light of the new Police and Crime Plan when published.
He also explained that the refresh of the registers would also need to reflect the outcome of the General Election on the 4th July. He also provided assurance to the PCC that despite the National Black Police Association withdrawing its support to the NPCC on the delivery of the National Race Action Plan that this hasn’t changed the importance that Bedfordshire continues to place on the work it will continue to do on the delivery of Improving Policing for Black People in Bedfordshire.
Resolved
That the verbal update by the CFO be noted.
ITEM 5 Collaboration
5.1 Collaboration Updates:
- Joint Protective Services (JPS) – Quarterly Update
- Eastern Region Serious Organised Crime (ERSOU) – Quarterly Update
- BCH Functions ( PSD / HR / etc) – Quarterly Updates
All to be presented at July 2024 Meeting
ITEM 6 - Complaints 6.1: Chief Constable Complaints
No complaints were raised.
6.2: Reviews
No issues.
ITEM 7 Quarterly Reporting Efficiency
7.1 Budget / Efficiency
The CFO presented the revised capital programme taking account of the final out turn reported to the previous Board in early June.
Resolved
That the revised Capital Programme was approved.
ITEM 8 AOB
Reflection
PCC thanked the CC and his team for the open discussions and reminded them of the timescales for the Police and Crime Plan and the evolution of this meeting to fit with that Plan. CEO also thanked the Force Executive for extending the invite to the OPCC to Bedfordshire Police Service’s Vision Days and that they found them very informative.
Next Meeting: 23 July 2024