Bedfordshire Police chief reflects on his first 12 months in "the best job in the world"

Chief Constable Garry Forsyth called leading Bedfordshire Police "the best job in the world" as he reflected on his first 12 months in charge of the force.

In a year which has been dominated by the global pandemic, Mr Forsyth pointed to the amazing response of officers and staff and the collective approach of partners and communities to protect the people of Bedfordshire.

The force’s success at tackling organised crime was also a high point for the new chief constable.

He said: "I’m blown away every day, without fail, at the stories I hear about the lengths we have gone to in order to keep people safe. The extraordinary things we have done for the public and each other.

“It is hard to express the level of pride you feel when leading an organisation like that. It really is the best job in the world.

“It has been a year with many, and varied, challenges, but Covid has certainly taken top spot – we have had to flip on a sixpence and adapt at pace to keep the public safe and that has been enormously challenging."

He went on to say: “Covid has meant that many of the usual set-piece events where I’d have the chance to engage with our communities have been cancelled or postponed, and I’ve missed that personal interaction. But overall the partnership effort has been really important - there are so many examples of how we are working effectively with our communities to protect people.”

During his year, the police have partnered with housing association bpha and Bedford Borough Council to tackle drugs and anti-social behaviour in a number of tower blocks in Bedford.

That followed a national operation where more than 90 kilos of Class A drugs, seven firearms and £88,000 in cash were seized in the county as part of the UK’s largest ever operation to combat serious and organised crime.

Mr Forsyth said: “I’m really pleased about the work we have done to dismantle organised criminality to protect vulnerable people across Bedfordshire and beyond. That is a real focus for the force, and our partnerships, and there is a lot more to come.”