More in Common Polling report
In September 2025, the Office of the Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner and the Bedfordshire Police Force commissioned More in Common to conduct comprehensive research into public attitudes towards policing and crime across Bedfordshire.
This research combines quantitative data from a large-scale representative survey of Bedfordshire residents with three focus groups conducted across the county's Community Safety Partnership (CSP) areas and draws comparisons with a nationally-representative poll conducted simultaneously.
This report explores critical questions at the heart of effective policing: How safe do Bedfordshire residents feel in their communities? How much do they trust their local police force? What are their priorities for tackling crime? And crucially, where do perceptions of policing align with, or diverge from, the reality on the ground?
The research examines trust in policing across different demographic groups, feelings of safety in various settings and times of day, experiences and interactions with the police, public priorities for crime reduction, and geographic variation across Bedfordshire's three CSP areas. It also investigates the influence of news and social media on public perceptions and identifies what might restore trust among groups with lower confidence in policing.