| Bedfordshire Police | |
| Logo | |
| Motto | Fighting Crime, Protecting the Public |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1966 |
| Preceding agencies |
|
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction* | Ceremonial county of Bedfordshire in the country of England, United Kingdom |
| Map of police area | |
| Population | 582,600 |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Overviewed by | Bedfordshire Police Authority |
| Headquarters | Kempston |
| Police constables | 1,232 |
| Special Constables | 206 |
| Agency executive | Alfred Hitchcock[1], Chief Constable |
| Divisions | 2 |
| Facilities | |
| Stations | 11 |
| Website | |
| www.bedfordshire.police.uk | |
| Footnotes | |
| * Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction. | |
Bedfordshire Police, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire in England, which includes the unitary authorities of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Luton. Its headquarters are in Kempston. The county had an estimated population of 602,500 in mid 2008, so the force is one of the smaller ones in England. The force is now divided into two divisions, one covering Bedford and Central Bedfordshire and the other covering Luton.
A professional police force was established in Bedfordshire in 1839, under the County Police Act 1839, replacing the earlier system of elected parish constables. It initially comprised a chief constable, who was based in Ampthill, 6 superintendents and 40 constables. Constables were paid 19 shillings a week, which was nearly twice the typical wage of an agricultural labourer in the county at that time.[2]
There was an independent Luton Borough Police from 1876 to 1947, and then from 1964 to 1966, when it amalgamated with Bedfordshire Constabulary, which was then known as the Bedfordshire and Luton Constabulary until 1974. In 1965, Bedfordshire Constabulary had an establishment of 497 and an actual strength of 430.[3]
Proposals made by the Home Secretary on 20 March 2006 would have seen Bedfordshire Police merge with neighbouring forces Hertfordshire Constabulary and Essex Police to form a strategic police force.[4] However, in July 2006 Prime Minister Tony Blair signalled that police force mergers will not be forced through by the central government, and given the amount of local opposition to such mergers it is not expected that any voluntary mergers will occur.[5]
On 11 June 2007, one of its officers, PC Jon Henry, was stabbed to death in the street in Luton town centre by a Nigerian immigrant, Tennyson Obih. Obih was convicted of his murder, along with the attempted murder and wounding with intent of two other men that he stabbed on the same morning.[6]
In October 2007, Bedfordshire Police Force was rated the worst performing force in England and Wales,[7] according to a league table based on Home Office figures, being rated "poor" for protecting vulnerable people, implementation of neighbourhood policing, and local priorities.[8]
Contents |
Since 2007 the Constabulary has been divided into 2 Areas (having formerly been divided into 4 Divisions.
J Division
C Division
A. F. Richer, Bedfordshire Police 1840-1990, Paul Hooley, 1990, ISBN 0-905095-27-8.