Joint approach essential to tackling crime, says Bedfordshire's PCC
John Tizard is urging the public to share views over how best to tackle crime in communities at monthly public meetings
The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Bedfordshire is encouraging residents to engage with him at monthly meetings to better understand how crime is affecting communities and how best to tackle it.
Every month, John Tizard, who is in charge of setting the budget and priorities for policing in the county, is hosting a public event in a different location, the next one planned in Biggleswade.
This week, it was in Kempston.
Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio, he said: "One of my principal roles is to be the voice of the public into the police and indeed into the wider criminal justice system.
"In order to do that, I have to listen to the public, and when I was elected, I committed to hold monthly meetings around the county, which give people the opportunity to question me on what I’m doing and for me to explain what I’m doing.
"I want to be as open and as transparent as I can be, but I want to listen and I want to hear.
"I can be really effective at doing strategy sitting in my office looking at data, but actually I need to know what the people are thinking.
"I want people to feel they can come and suggest how we can do things better and have the confidence that, as Police and Crime Commissioner, I’m there to represent them and that they feel confident and reassured by the police.”
And with a successful turnout for the fourth event of its kind, the PCC was met with several challenges, particularly in the wake of the murder of a 17-year-old in Bedford earlier this month.
“The data is suggesting that we’re moving in the right direction, but we’ve got a long way to go," he said. "Even if we’re moving in the right direction, if a member of your family or you yourself get attacked with a knife, that’s one too many."
"If you carry a knife, you are more likely to be the victim of knife crime, and if you’re caught, you probably ruin the rest of your life as well."
The issue of knife violence in Bedfordshire was once again raised this week, this time in Parliament by Luton MP Sarah Owen, following the murder of a 46-year-old woman on Monday.
Addressing the Prime Minister in the House of Commons, she said: "In the past few days, Luton has suffered two stabbings, as well as one woman murdered, another seriously injured.
"This January alone, there has been at least 12 recorded violent offences in Luton.
"After decades of being funded as a rural police force, Bedfordshire has had to make do with special grants to tackle serious and violent crime.
"Does the Prime Minister agree that proper police funding is essential for keeping people in Luton North safe and will he ensure Bedfordshire police receive the grants we need to fight crime on our streets?"
Sir Keir Starmer replied: "She and I have met far too many families devastated by this senseless violence. We are taking urgent action to ban zombie-style knives and regulating the online sale of knives.
"It is unacceptable that these murder weapons can be bought with two clicks. Technology is there to stop it and we're going to take action. And on the resources, we're putting an additional 13,000 police into neighbourhood roles and allocating £85 million to Bedfordshire police in funding to keep her constituents safe."
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) further released figures on knife crime offences for the year 2024, Bedfordshire featuring as one of the worst affected counties with a 21.5% jump.
It is the third highest increase recorded in England and Wales.
What does Bedfordshire Police say?
Superintendent Alex House, leading on tackling knife crime, said: “Knife crime is a complex issue and remains a priority for the force. We conduct dedicated operations and deploy resources every day to proactively address knife crime in our communities. Our efforts also include working with our partners, educating young people with impactful messages and offering opportunities that steer them away from crime.
“We are actively involved in several initiatives aimed at reducing knife-related offences, including proactive patrols and engagements.
“Over the past six months, more than 1,500 knives and other weapons have been safely recovered from knife bins across the county as part of our ongoing efforts to remove knives from the streets.
“Tackling knife crime requires collective responsibility and a multi-agency approach. Our collaboration with partners, including the Violence and Exploitation Reduction Unit and their commissioned projects, has been instrumental in achieving these results.
“We continue to support and amplify their knife crime awareness campaign, urging young people to ‘Think Twice, Think Life, and Just Drop It.”