Challenging and successful year for the Joint Protective Services for Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire

It has been another demanding, challenging but successful year (2019/20) for the teams working under the Joint Protective Services (JPS) for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire (BCH).

On Monday, May 18, ACC Jackie Sebire from Bedfordshire Police is joining JPS as the lead officer for the command.

Tomorrow (Friday) is JPS ACC Paul Fullwood's last day, after he delayed his retirement to lead the BCH work around COVID-19.

He said: “The officers and staff working within the command are dedicated, committed and passionate about providing the very best level of service in everything they do and I would like to thank them all for everything they do in keeping our counties safe and bringing offenders to justice.

“Tomorrow is my last day as ACC for JPS. I am proud to have led the JPS teams for the last three years and to have worked within the command since 2012.

"JPS is one of the most successful collaborations of specialist policing in the UK for which I remain immensely proud to have worked with so many professional officers and staff from across Bedfordshire Police, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Constabularies.”

Highlights for 2019/20 include:

- Our Major Crime Unit has taken ownership of 59 new investigations and secured over 4,000 years of custodial sentences since tri-force collaboration in April 2012

- The Armed Policing Unit attended 899 spontaneous firearms deployments and 88 pre-planned firearms incidents

- Within our Scientific Services Unit one team have become the first Scenes of Crime unit in England and Wales to be recommended for ISO accreditation

- Officers attended 86 fatal collisions and 203 serious injury collisions over the past year

- Our Civil Contingencies Unit have reviewed 124 Contingency Plans and played a key role in our COVID-19 response

- Our Protect and Prepare team have dealt with a steep rise in reported CBRN related incidents

- The Dog Unit have assisted in numerous incidents leading to arrest.

The units which serve under JPS are: Armed Policing Unit, Civil Contingencies Unit, Dog Unit, Operational Support Unit, Major Crime Unit, Road Policing Unit, Scientific Services Unit and JPS Counter Terrorism Protect and Prepare.

ACC Fullwood added: “Our people truly are our greatest asset and I am grateful to have been able to host the first annual JPS Outstanding Awards in recognition of our brilliant staff.

"I have seen JPS develop into one of the most mature, experienced and forward-thinking collaborations and I know ACC Sebire will continue this great work moving forward.”