Bedfordshire Police
North Beds Rural Villages
Priority Setting Meeting. 27th September 2021
Every four months, Bedfordshire Police meet with village representatives to discuss crime concerns and set priorities for the police to focus on within the north Beds Rural area.
At this meeting we were introduced to new members of the team now working from Riseley Police Station. Although this is no longer a working station open to the public, a Police Volunteer is there for general enquiries most Wednesday mornings till 12 noon. The Officers working from Riseley on a permanent basis are one Inspector, one Sergeant, one PC and two PCSO’s. These Officers cover all North Bedfordshire villages.
At the meeting we were introduced to Inspector Ed Finn, Sergeant John Killick, Constable Kerry Jones and PCSO James Dancer.
The most recent priority, set since April 2021 was vehicle crime and speeding and recorded offences showed a 27% reduction.
There was also an overall reduction in recorded crime figures of 16%. However, there was a slightly higher rate of Anti-Social Behaviour recorded.
With the onset of darker nights, Halloween, Fireworks and Christmas, the majority at the meeting requested the priority focus for the next four months to be burglary. There are two more Priority Settings meetings covering other villages and the police will then decide on the chosen priority after those have taken place.
The police are keen for the public to contact them with concerns using their on-line survey facility; https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/BedsPoliceHaveYourSay
We were also reminded of their Social Media accounts on Facebook and Twitter.
To contact any of the team, ring 101 to make an appointment, but always dial 999 for all emergencies.
The police can now link into your phone when dialling 999 to live stream any incident as it happens.