John Tizard, Labour Police and Crime Commissioner secured the commitment after meetings with all Bedfordshire MPs and the policing minister Diana Johnson. The money will ensure continued support for key frontline operations – including Operation Costello, the largest investigation to tackle serious and organised crime in the force’s history, and Operation Boson, which targets gangs, gun crime, and youth violence in hotspot areas. It comes on top of the £167 million already secured for Bedfordshire Police earlier this year – a major boost to strengthen neighbourhood policing and make communities safer. Welcoming the news, Alex Mayer MP said: “I welcome that the Government is backing Bedfordshire Police. This funding will be important in helping those officers leading the fight against drugs and organised crime right across the country. "It means these specialist teams can keep the pressure up – continuing to disrupt organised crime and county lines activity that extends beyond local borders. That is vital so we can protect our streets and our towns and villages across Bedfordshire from the county’s gangs and organised crime groups.” Ms Mayer added that she had voted for the new Crime and Policing Bill, which includes over 50 measures to fight crime – from cracking down on knife crime and car theft to tackling the rise in shoplifting – backed by 13,000 extra neighbourhood police officers nationwide. She also reaffirmed her commitment to working with Police and Crime Commissioner John Tizard to secure further resources for the region.
