Bedford Borough Conservative Councillors have asked for Bedfordshire Police to attend a Council meeting to explain how they will respond to the police’s regulatory body’s verdict that the force has ‘insufficient resources’ to investigate increasing levels of crime.  The force is also under pressure as local performance indicators have shown increased reports of crime in 2013/14.

Last week the Bedfordshire on Sunday reported that Her Majesty Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) had written to the Chief Constable of Bedfordshire Police stating that on inspection the force’s ‘response function’ was ‘overwhelmed’.  This was deemed to be ‘potentially placing the public at significant risk’.

On the same day members of the Council’s Environment & Sustainable Communities Committee were provided with figures which showed an increase in reported crime during 2013/14.  As a result Councillors Roger Rigby and Jon Gambold requested that representatives of Bedfordshire Police attend a future meeting to explain how the force will be responding to the verdict of HMIC in the context of increasing levels of crime.  This was approved by member of all parties.

Cllr Alison Foster, who is a Conservative member of the Bedfordshire Police and Crime Panel, welcomed the move from her colleagues.  She said:

‘Residents will be rightly concerned that HMIC found Bedfordshire Police to be unable to respond to calls that were graded as requiring ‘immediate’ attention.  While the force is right to prioritise the calls to which it responds, it is alarming that officers are overstretched to the extent that they are not able to assist with high priority alerts.

‘I am pleased that my colleagues Cllrs Rigby and Gambold requested that Bedfordshire Police attends a future meeting of the Council’s Committee.  I would urge that the force takes up this invitation to reassure councillors and the public that it will be able to assist victims of crime going forwards.’