Two fewer burglaries a day across Bedfordshire

Statistics released by Bedfordshire Police Authority show that an average of 8.4 burglaries occurred every day between April and November 2011.

That compared to an average of 10.7 a day between April 2010 and March 2011.

Beds Police’s detection rate improved over the same period, from 16 per cent to 20 per cent.

Overall crime also fell in this period, while the number of robberies dropped too.

Penny Fletcher, chairman of Bedfordshire Police Authority’s performance scrutiny committee, was particularly pleased with the burglary figures, as this had been listed as residents’ main priority in last year’s surveys of residents.

She said: “These figures are extremely encouraging and show the public that we have not only listened to them but are also delivering on the actions we outlined in our strategic plan. Our communities play a huge role in the way we set our policing agenda and these results show that making the effort to tell us what you think can have a real impact on our operational decisions.

“Both the police authority and the force are constantly striving to improve the service the public receives whether this is in the way we deal with victims of crime or the way we listen to the problems which concern our communities. By closing the gap between public expectations and performance we will hopefully improve satisfaction levels in local policing and ensure confidence continues to grow in the force.

“Bedfordshire Police has maintained its improved national rank positions in all of its priority detection categories compared to last year which means our communities are not only safer, they are also receiving a better service in the investigation and detection of the crimes which take place in the county.

“By continuing to place the needs of residents at the heart of our decisions, I am confident we will continue to bring further reductions and service improvements in the future.”

Beds Police Authority is responsible for overseeing policing across the county.

Its figures show that the overall crime rate fell from 119.5 offences per day between April and December 2010, to 115.2 per day in the same period of 2011.

Further consultation this year has again identified domestic burglary as an ongoing concern for residents and as such it will feature prominently again in this year’s strategic police plan.