Extra £7.7m funding secured to tackle serious and organised crime in Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire Police is set to get £7.7 million from the Home Office to combat drugs, violence, exploitation and organised crime.
The cash will be split between the force’s Boson and Costello teams, which between them have seized millions of pounds worth of drugs and taken dozens of firearms off the streets.
The funding is in addition to the £6.3 million of extra funding awarded in 2023.
Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner John Tizard said: "This additional £7.7m of funding for Operations Boson and Costello is excellent news for Bedfordshire and shows what a partnership between a Police and Crime Commissioner, and the government can deliver.
"The government has recognised what I have long argued. Bedfordshire faces unique pressures of organised crime, county lines, guns and gangs. Our communities deserve a response that matches the scale of that challenge.
"This special grant secures funding for special investigations teams for Operation Boson, the specialist guns and gangs' unit, and Operation Costello, which tackles serious and organised crime, and will make a real difference to safety in Bedfordshire.
"Bedfordshire Police has a record police budget of £175 million for 2026/27. This means more neighbourhood policing, tackling serious crime, and a greater focus on prevention, stopping crime before it happens.”
Boson, established in 2018, leads the response to gangs and gun crime in the county and officers are heavily involved in partnership safeguarding and protecting young people from violence and exploitation.
Launched in spring 2020, Operation Costello is the force’s biggest ever operation to tackle serious and organised crime across the county.
It comes after law enforcement cracked the Encrochat communications network used exclusively by criminals. A significant number of people were found to be using this network in Bedfordshire.