Leighton Buzzard bakery calls for police to clamp down on crime after break-in

Piccolo, on the High Street, had around £20 stolen from its till on Monday (June 20) just before 3.30am, with the thief captured on the shop's CCTV.

However, the break-in left the business with a whopping £1,000 bill for damage, and owner Jo Garvin is calling for greater police presence to protect the High Street.

Jo claimed: "I got a call at 3.30am from our alarm which is connected to a call centre to let us know that it was going off. I looked at the camera [footage] and saw that the till was gone and that the front door was smashed in.

"I rewound it a couple of minutes behind and saw that they had smashed the glass, climbed in, and couldn't work out how to open the till.

"They yanked it through the door and ran off with it."

Jo told the LBO that the police came down and searched the area near Aldi car park for the culprit(s) but to no avail.

Piccolo has given the force its CCTV.

Jo claimed: "We pay good money for CCTV but the police don't have the resources to look into crimes. I would like the PCC to actually come into town and let us know what he plans to do about the county lines problem in the town. I think people are just doing it [breaking-in] for drugs."

Piccolo bakery opened in May 2021 and Jo owns the cafe with her sister, Serafina Di Meo. Jo, her husband, and Serafina all rushed to the shop in the early hours on Monday morning to assess the damage.

Jo added: "We're closed on Mondays anyway and we were open the next day, Tuesday. I'm not going to let them upset me. We're not going to keep any change in the till anymore. Our customers were brilliant and we had a very busy week. We've got a very loyal following."

It is also reported that WH Smith, High Street, was broken into during Thursday night/Friday morning.

Posting on its Facebook page, Bedfordshire Police said: “Yesterday [Thursday, June 23] our Leighton Buzzard team carried out Op Vision patrols in the town following concerns of burglary. They engaged with local residents and businesses and obtained lots of information and CCTV. Engagement with our local residents is key to tackling and preventing crime, you can also always contact us with information online via our website or on 101.”

The LBO has contacted Bedfordshire Police for a further comment about both incidents.