Commissioner launches summer plan to tackle crime

John Tizard said the plan would focus on six areas that have the "highest level of crime and footfall"

A crime commissioner has launched a summer safer streets scheme to combat anti-social behaviour, shoplifting, knife crime and offences associated with the night economy.

John Tizard, Bedfordshire's Police and Crime Commissioner, told BBC Three Counties Radio presenter Andy Collins the "additional police activity" would focus on six hotspots with the "highest level of crime and footfall".

The areas include Luton, Bury Park in the town, Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, Biggleswade and Bedford.

The scheme is part of a Home Office initiative and will run across the county until September.

Tom Wootton said towns such as Bedford were "under siege" from shoplifting and anti-social behaviour

Tizard confirmed the scheme would see "more police and community support officers on the street" and "a community enforcement team that will move across the county between the six areas, as and when necessary".

He added: "We are seeing town centres where there was so much going on both in terms of retail, hospitality, culture [and] social activity, but we are finding that people feel unsafe.

"Often in the late evening and early morning where we were seeing the misuse of drugs and alcohol, and women particularly feeling unsafe on the streets at that time of night."

He said the scheme would also be "using modern technology to observe what is going on and CCTV from local authorities as well".

Loss of control

In a letter to the chief constable of Bedfordshire Police in May, Tom Wootton, the Conservative Mayor of Bedford, said that "town centres in both Bedford and Kempston, feel they are under siege".

In his letter he added: "Shoplifting is rampant, anti-social behaviour is unchecked, aggressive begging was intimidating residents and visitors alike."

Wootton demanded "an urgent and substantial increase" in officer presence in the borough's town centres.

Speaking on the letter, Tizard said the mayor "used language I would not have used to describe what was going on in Bedford town centre", but he confirmed Wootton would be involved in the launch of the Bedford element of his summer plan.

He said that he and the mayor "have the same objective to make Bedford safer" and "whether it is in the urban part of Bedford or the rural part of the borough of Bedford, people should feel safe and get their fair share of policing and other community resources".