Silent crime: Beds Police say it's ‘important all crime is reported’ as figures reveal nearly three quarters don’t tell force about incidents

As national police budgets continue to be squeezed, paired with years of underinvestment in youth and community services, we asked our readers about the under-reported and unsolved incidents plaguing their towns and villages.

A survey completed by our readers across Bedfordshire revealed that 70 per cent of them witnessed a crime, but didn’t report it to the police in the past year.

Some of the crimes that weren't reported included assault, nuisance fireworks, shoplifting, drug dealing and antisocial behaviour.

When asked why they didn’t report the crime, one respondent said: “Because it’s happening everywhere.

While another said: “I knew the police wouldn’t do anything about it and would not protect me after reporting the crime.”

In Luton, 82 per cent of respondents said they had been a victim of crime in the last 12 months and decided not to report it to the police.

Police and Crime Commissioner, John Tizard urged people to come forward: “Victims must always report all crimes in order to assist Bedfordshire Police in building a statistical understanding of the need for resources in each geographical and criminal area.

“With increased funding and increased assistance from our partners who generously pledged their support of the Police and Crime Plan and its drive for whole system change at our launch, the police service will, over time, be able to proportionately allocate further resources to all communities and to tackle more crime at an improved rate.”

Mr Tizard vowed to work with the “MPs and the Home Secretary, to mainstream Home Office special grants into the core settlement and ultimately to introduce a new funding formula that properly reflects the policing needs in Bedfordshire”.

But he added: “However, my priority is to ensure that any funding allocated to Bedfordshire Police is used effectively and efficiently wherever it may occur.”

This week, the Office for National Statistics revealed that shoplifting offences recorded by police in England and Wales have hit a 20-year high, with a total of 469,788 incidents reported in the year to June 2024.

In the past 12 months, there has been a 29 per cent increase in shoplifting reports - marking the highest number since records began in March 2003.

Detective Superintendent Trevor Davidson, Head of the Crime Command, reiterated the need to tell the force about incidents.

He said: “It is important that all crime is reported to the police so as a force we can accurately understand the gravity of an issue and allocate sufficient resources in those areas, for example increased patrols, dedicated teams and investment in those areas.

“We understand some people do not see immediate outcomes to their reports, however in some cases, reports shape part of a wider intelligence picture, for example organised crime mapping, leading to operations, warrants and arrests.

“We would actively encourage people to report directly through our various channels online, call, webchat or alternatively through tools such as CrimeStoppers and StreetSafe.”