Bedfordshire Police

Bedfordshire Police is reviewing how it deals with requests to see body-worn camera footage after a woman's appeal against her arrest was thwarted by it having been deleted. Grace Mitchell, 60, from Felmersham was taken into custody while out in Bedford for a birthday celebration on July 4, and claims she was unfairly arrested outside the George and Dragon in Mill Street. She said: "When the police came over I felt quite shocked as I didn't know what I had done wrong, and felt like they were being unnecessarily firm. "They took me to a cell which was degrading as I did not feel I deserved to be there, and the next day I was given a penalty notice." Ms Mitchell refused…

The days of having a local bobby on the beat dedicated only to your village may seem like a distant memory - but what if they could return? In Northamptonshire the force has created the role of 'parish special constable' earlier this year and now the idea of them being mimicked in Bedfordshire is on the cards. Unlike traditional special constables, parish specials are more focused on their own communities, rather than policing the whole county, and can even be deployed from home to an incident. Like normal specials they are volunteers and have the power to arrest and issue fines - something that PCSOs do not. Bedford Borough Councillor for Harrold, Alison Field-Foster…

A Special Constable from Bedfordshire Police has been shortlisted for a prestigious award.John Powers and Charlie Special Constable John Power, 30, who is the UK’s first Special dog handler following a battle with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and a double lung transplant, has been shortlisted for the Individual Award at the Lord Ferrers Awards 2015. The awards, previously known as the Special Constable and Police Support Volunteer Awards, highlight the vital role volunteers play in support of policing, by giving up their free time to make communities safer and enhancing the effectiveness of policing across England and Wales. John was diagnosed with CF when he was only a year o…

Inappropriate or accidental use of the 999 number could cost lives. The hard-hitting warning comes from Bedfordshire Police which says far too many people are still dialling 999 when they should be using the non-emergency 101 number. The risk is that hard-pressed Control Room operators – who field an incredible 450,000 calls a year - are tied up on non-urgent calls when they could be deploying officers to a real emergency. Force Control Room Manager, Wayne Humberstone, said common examples include callers asking for the number of other agencies – such as local authorities, RSPCA, or passport services - which they could easily have researched on the internet. Some dial…

Bedfordshire Police is proud to announce the launch of its innovative new Cyber Hub – a unit dedicated to analysing digital data to investigate cyber crime. Cyber crime is one of the fastest growing criminal activities across the world, and can affect both individuals and businesses. It is a type of crime in which digital technology, such as computers and smart devices, is used as the means and/or the target for criminal activity. Offences can include cyber bullying, cyber stalking, online fraud and theft and hacking. Crimes such as child grooming and sex offences can also be facilitated through cyber means. Bedfordshire Police has now invested its existing skills…

What will a dog do to get hold of its favourite toy? Chase a criminal? Sniff out drugs or firearms? Rescue someone trapped in the rubble of a collapsed building? For the hundreds of dogs employed by the emergency services in the UK, the simple reward of a tennis ball is a powerful incentive, and one that can help turn a pet pooch into a super-sleuth. Despite working in the high-pressure world of drugs and explosives, one of the most important qualities on the police canine's CV is playfulness. The tennis ball is the reward of choice for the dozens of dogs who have carved out a career with the eastern region's emergency services. Darcy, a 10-year-old border collie with…

So today I was declared fit for service and now have my uniform fitting booked in and training confirmed for the 2 week intensive in August. Anyone else booked onto that? Couldn't be happier - also received my collar number as well, starting to feel a bit more real now!