Police complaints 'must be taken more seriously' - Bedfordshire’s PCC discusses David Carrick case in Sky TV interview

The shocking case of PC David Carrick will be one of the topics of conversation as Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Bedfordshire, Festus Akinbusoye is interviewed on Sky tonight (January 19).

Festus, who has been the PCC since 2021, sat down with the political editor Beth Rigby for an interview, discussing the issue of crime within the police.

Festus said: “The solution can't be just about vetting alone, because clearly, as we can see from this Carrick case, people who have been vetted still get through despite evidence.”

He believes it is time to take complaints against police officers more seriously to stop the next PC Carrick.

David Carrick, a Met Police officer from Stevenage, pleaded guilty to dozens of rape and sexual offences against 12 women, a total of 49 offences across two decades.

The PCC revealed that within Bedfordshire Police, there have been seven officers who have been dismissed and 27 live cases.

He said: “There are now, I think about 27 live cases that they're still investigating for Bedfordshire alone, but not all of them are, like, rape. There could be all kinds of different issues - misogyny, racism, you name it.

“But what I choose to do as a police and crime commissioner, which many other PCCs are doing, is that I'm holding my Chief Constable accountable every single month for this.”

In the interview, Festus talks about the supply and demand of drugs and the ‘underworld’ that drives violence in communities.

He also reflects on his own experiences of being stopped and searched: “While I am very supportive of stop and search and the use of police powers to do what they have to do, keep communities safe, I just would love to see policing also understand how these coercive powers have an impact on people who are most affected by it.”

The full interview with Festus Akinbusoye, Police and Crime Commissioner for Bedfordshire, on the Beth Rigby Interviews… show is on tonight (January 19) at 9pm on Sky News, or catch up with the Beth Rigby Interviews… podcast.