Commissioner Column: Safer streets, safer town centres

These are important places to shop, to enjoy hospitality, to meet friends, to attend cultural events and to undertake business. Many of our town centres are now changing and being refocussed in terms of the balance between these activities.

There is a strong case for encouraging more people to visit, work and live in town centres. Businesses need to be encouraged to invest in them too. In Bedfordshire the three unitary local authorities have been taking steps to make their town centres more attractive and more economically sustainable.

This requires town centres to be safe for visitors, residents and businesses.

Although statistically Bedfordshire’s principal town centres are safe, they experience too much crime especially retail crime and shoplifting, anti-social behaviour, knife crime and night-time economy crimes. This is unacceptable.

As Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) I have always been committed to the police addressing these crimes. However, to tackle them effectively requires more than action by the police. It requires action by local authorities, other agencies and businesses. It requires those who go into town centres to act responsibly.

I have been pressing all the relevant public authorities to collaborate to make our town centres safer ever since I was elected last year. Progress has been made but much remains to be done.

Therefore, I was delighted when the Home Secretary announced the government’s “Safer Streets Summer Initiative”. She asked PCCs to lead co-ordinated plans to make our town centres safer, starting with an extensive programme of activities across the summer months when crime is highest in these areas.

I have submitted a plan with the support of Bedfordshire Police, Luton Borough Council, Bedford Borough Council and Central Bedfordshire Council.

The Home Office identified six town centres in the county for the initiative- Biggleswade, Bedford, Bury Park, Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard and Luton – this choice was made based on recorded crime levels.

These areas will benefit from increased police patrols including by specialist teams, community officers and PCSOs. Other areas will not experience less policing.

These town centres will also benefit from additional local authority enforcement activities – this will vary between the three local authorities - use of their CCTV networks, action by their trading standards officers and in some cases their public health resources will be used to support and address drug and alcohol abuse.

This initiative is not going to end on 30 September. The lessons will be learnt and best practice extended across other areas of the county.

Whilst we will measure success in terms of statistics, the best measure of success will be that our towns are rejuvenated with people being and feeling safer and consequently spending time and money in our town centres.