Leighton Buzzard crime wave - Police say they are 'closing the net' as frustrated shop owners appeal for urgent action

Business owners and councillors are calling for more action to stop a crime wave in Leighton Buzzard.

Around 10 shops and businesses have been targeted in the past few weeks with front doors being smashed and cash tills and petty cash stolen.

But police say they are “closing the net” on those responsible – and are treating the crime wave with “utmost seriousness”.

The latest victims include Deen Barbers on Wing Road, Selections Model Shop in the High Street and Sculptors Hair salon on Lake Street, which has been targeted twice.

Owner of the barbers, Hussain, said he lost half a day’s business after his shop was targeted in the early hours of Saturday. "It’s really bad in the town at the moment,” he said. “Businesses are losing quite a lot of money.”

Selections Model Shop on High Street was targeted on Sunday night with the thieves taking the charity collection box. ”It’s disappointing and frustrating,” said proprietor Phil Curtis. “It’s a hard enough time for retailers.”

And he criticised the number of officers earmarked for the area. “Prior to the [PCC] election we were promised a proactive response with retailers,” he said. “It hasn’t materialised, we need extra facilities.”

Gennaro Borrelli, chairman of independent traders’ group LB First, called on people to report anything suspicious to the police in a bid to catch the culprits.

He said: “Amongst the small business owners there is a lot of anger and frustration. Things are hard enough as it is with an increase in overheads and costs and at the same time there is less disposable income around and a drop on footfall."

He said although only small amounts of cash was being taken, there is a huge costs to the businesses having to replace doors and increase security. He added that underfunding of Beds Police as a rural force meant it was not possible to increase patrols in the town.

Lib Dem councillor Shaun Roberts said his party was writing to the chief constable and the Police and Crime Commissioner Festus Akinbusoye, demanding action on the thefts.

"Police locally are being asked to do an impossible job,” he said. “We are asking the Chief Constable and the PCC to do something about it.”

South West Beds MP Andrew Selous said he expected a “full police effort to get prosecutions” and “appropriately robust punishments” from the justice system.

He added: “Break-ins to small businesses can be devastating to the owners and shoplifting means we all pay more during this cost-of-living crisis so these are most certainly not victimless crimes.

“It is urgent that we have a much greater police presence in Bossard House as soon as possible, and I continue to press both the Chief Constable and the Police and Crime Commissioner to deliver this.”

Chief Inspector Jim Goldsmith from the Leighton Buzzard community policing team said: “We are treating this issue with the utmost seriousness. Criminals cannot behave with such impunity and should know that we are doing all we can to catch them and hold them responsible for their crimes.

“We are running dedicated operations and patrols to disrupt and apprehend those involved, while we have specialist resources and detectives committed to this series of burglaries.

“Investigations take time and we want to be sure that we have enough evidence to charge those responsible once they are arrested, but we are closing the net on those involved.”

The Police and Crime Commissioner was approached for comment.