Extra police officers to patrol Luton town centre after month of targeted operations to tackle crime

Bedfordshire Police has announced it will be assigning additional officers into town centre and neighbourhood teams as part of its ongoing commitment to tackle community crime and make the county a safer and more welcoming place for both residents and visitors.

The move follows a month-long crackdown on organised crime operating through high street businesses. As part of Machinize, a national crackdown on high street crime, officers made six arrests, seized over £25,000 in cash and more than 500 counterfeit and illegal items.

The force has now secured freezing orders on assets totalling £1.3 million ahead of court proceedings.

Bedfordshire Police has also continued its use of Live Facial Recognition (LFR) in Luton and Bedford town centres, leading to 13 people being arrested for various offences, including six outstanding suspects wanted by police or the courts. This brings the total number of arrests through LFR to 113 since it was launched in September last year.

One of the most recent arrests came following a report that a wanted man had been sighted in Luton town centre. Officers conducting an LFR deployment were able to respond to the report, and following a short foot chase, the suspect was arrested just 11 minutes after the call came in. He has since been recalled to prison.

The news has been welcomed by Councillor Amjid Ali, leader of Luton Council. He said: “I’m really pleased that additional police officers will be deployed in Luton town centre. This is something that we and residents have been calling for over a long time, and it is an important step towards helping people feel safer and more confident in our town.

“Making our town centre safe and welcoming is a huge priority for this council. While the additional police presence is very welcome, it also gives us a great opportunity to build on our partnership working and make further progress together. We recognise there is still much to do, and will continue working closely with the police and all our partners to tackle the issues affecting our town centre and create a place residents can be proud of.”

Chief Superintendent Ian Taylor said: “Over the last six weeks, we have carried out a considerable amount of work to disrupt organised crime and apprehend outstanding offenders who have been causing harm in our communities.

“We know that enforcement alone cannot tackle all of the criminality we see, and both the public and our local authority partners want to see more officers on the ground as a visible deterrent to crime, particularly during the darker winter months. That is why, over the next few months, we will be deploying student officers into our town centres and neighbourhoods, increasing our policing footprint and providing greater visibility and reassurance to our communities.

“Through targeted operations like Machinize and the regular deployment of Live Facial Recognition, we are already seeing the impact of this work in our town centres. Combined with an increased officer presence and our continued work alongside local authority partners, we’re confident we can build on that progress and make our town centres safer.”