Monthly Column by Beds Police and Crime Commissioner John Tizard: Spending money to keep you safe

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In the financial year 2025/26 Bedfordshire Police will spend £158m to keep Bedfordshire residents and businesses safe.

I am responsible for agreeing the police budget and setting the council tax which in part funds it. Government funds about 60% and the council taxpayers fund the remaining 40%. This year government grant has increased by over 6% and there has been additionally new grant of £1.8m for local policing.

The budget is aligned with the Police and Crime Plan which I launched last October. It also enables the Chief Constable to deliver the police service’s strategic objectives and the national policing objectives set by government.

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The police service is complex with many competing demands for limited resources, so it is essential that the money available is used well and that the Chief Constable has flexibility to deploy resources as he deems operationally necessary. My role is strategic and not operational.

John Tizard, Police and Crime Commissioner for BedfordshireJohn Tizard, Police and Crime Commissioner for Bedfordshire
John Tizard, Police and Crime Commissioner for Bedfordshire

I hold the Chief Constable responsible for managing the budget effectively and efficiently. Each month I review both financial and operational performance rigorously.

I am determined to improve productivity and have required that every budget line can be justified to prove value for money and public benefit.

In 2025/26, Bedfordshire police will spend £35m on local policing including response patrol and community policing; £15.5m on public protection services including the specialist domestic abuse, child protection and rape and serious sexual offences teams; £42m on tackling serious and organised crime and other crime including Bedfordshire’s contribution to the Eastern Regional Serious Organised Crime Unit; and much more.

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Bedfordshire Police collaborates with neighbouring police services in Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire for specialist services such as armed policing, traffic policing, forensics, and major crime investigations as well as some support services. Bedfordshire contributes significantly to this collaboration which enhances our policing capacity.

As I often say, policing alone cannot prevent or tackle crime. We must address the causes of crime with a multi-agency approach. Wherever possible the police should share resources with public sector partners and work together to budget effectively.

We all know that budgets and resources are tight for every police force, but this cannot be an excuse for underperformance.

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