You'll get a guaranteed police response right across Bedfordshire as part of Home Office campaign
The Government has promised there is now a named and contactable officer in every neighbourhood in the county as police start to deliver on its commitment.
In an announcement today (Wednesday), the Home Secretary said Bedfordshire Police are also holding regular public meetings to give residents and businesses a voice, in addition to a dedicated anti-social behaviour lead.
This comes under the government's central Plan for Change – aimed at returning visible policing to communities after years of decline. The number of people who regularly see police patrolling in their local area has halved in the past decade, while shoplifting has soared to record levels across the country and latest statistics show 10,816 anti-social behaviour incidents in Bedfordshire.
To connect to your nearest Bobby, either visit your Community Policing Facebook page or join BedsConnected.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Communities are sick of the anti-social behaviour and shop theft blighting their town centres. There are too many neighbourhoods across the country who simply do not feel safe.
“A connection between the police and public has been lost for too long but restoring visible officers to our streets and giving communities a proper named contact will rebuild those bonds with the communities they serve.
“We are now ending the postcode lottery of policing.”
You’ll also now see increased patrols in town centres and other hotspot areas across Bedfordshire, including Bedford, Luton and Dunstable.
This has been kickstarted by the Home Secretary's Safer Streets Summer Initiative, with six towns across the region joining over 500 nationwide in a coordinated blitz on town centre crime and antisocial behaviour.
And to ensure Bedfordshire Police gets the support it needs, 38 additional neighbourhood officers will be joining neighbourhood policing teams by spring next year. This means up to 3,000 more officers and PCSOs in neighbourhood policing across all police forces in England and Wales.