Bedford community team clamps down on anti-social behaviour in town centre

Officers from Bedfordshire Police conducted a three day long operation to target anti-social behaviour in Bedford town centre.

Between 10 and 12 January, officers from the Bedford community policing team tackled street drinking in Midland Road after it was flagged as a priority issue by local residents. Last Wednesday (10 January), officers visited households in Midland Road to speak to residents about the issues facing the neighbourhood. Residents identified street drinking, drugs and alcohol related anti-social behaviour as the priority concerns in Midland Road. As a result of the engagement day officers submitted 13 intelligence reports and issued one penalty notice to a shop for selling alcohol to a person already under influence of alcohol. Following the initial information gathering and engagement day, the community team led an intelligence and enforcement day which included visits in to local off-licenses to ensure their paperwork complied with license requirements. The three days of action concluded when officers conducted high visibility patrols to target street drinkers. Officers were joined by members of Bedford Borough Council’s Community Safety team and Highways team and a Park Ranger. The team also linked in with SMART Prebend Day Centre to work to safeguard vulnerable people and provide them with vital support. PC Emily Keech, who led the operation, said: “We are committed to keeping our communities safe, and in order to do that it’s vital that we listen to the concerns of our residents and target these concerns as a priority.“Our team would like to reassure Bedford residents that we take all reports of crime seriously. We continue to encourage our communities to come forward and talk to us about any issues in their area.”