PCC leads Winter of Action to keep Bedfordshire town centres safe

Following of the success of the Safer Streets initiative in town centres across Bedfordshire we are launching a Winter of Action focussed on Luton, Leighton Buzzard, Bedford and Dunstable. 

The Home Secretary has asked Police and Crime Commissioners to co-ordinate a partnership approach between the police, the local authorities, retailers and other key stakeholders to build on the achievements of the summer initiative.

This Winter of Action will take place throughout December and January to coincide with the festive period when there will be increased visits to town centres for shopping and hospitality.

This campaign will not only cover daytime but also twilight period and the night-time economy.  It will complement other policing operations to ensure safety for those enjoying Bedfordshire’s hospitality provision in evenings.

Bedfordshire Police will be enhancing their patrols in the four town centres and the local authorities will be complementing the police activity through the deployment of the enforcement teams, anti-social behaviour officers, trading standards officers, and in some cases public health services.

The campaign will focus on retail crime, anti-social behaviour, protecting women and children and street crime such as robbery and knife attacks.

The Winter of Action campaign should make a positive contribution to business and visitor confidence across the county.

Although the campaign will focus on the four busiest town centres, all town centres and neighbourhoods in Bedfordshire will continue to benefit from focussed and effective policing.

Police and Crime Commissioner, John Tizard said “I am really pleased that following on from the Safer Streets initiative that we have brought together the police and local authority partners, retailers and others to ensure safety in our key town centres over December and January”.

Chief Superintendent Jaki Whittred, at Bedfordshire Police, added: "Our summer policing plan delivered outstanding results, with 385 arrests, a 36% year-on-year reduction in retail crime, 57% fewer street crimes, and a 21% drop in anti-social behaviour.

“We also engaged with local businesses and the public more than 8,000 times, reinforcing that this work is not a one-off but part of our everyday neighbourhood policing.

“We know that people often feel less safe during the darker nights, so our Winter of Action will build on this success by tackling crime associated with the festive period and ensuring our communities feel protected and supported.”

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