Town council stepping up war on crime in Biggleswade

The council has arranged an audit of its CCTV cameras, and intends to upgrade and replace them where necessary. It is also looking into the possibility of relocating or installing new cameras in other potential crime hotspots.

Additionally, it is championing a new poster campaign in the town, with shops encouraged to place a notice in their windows which stress no cash is left on the premises overnight.

Deputy mayor Councillor Grant Fage said: “The town council is partnering with Biggleswade Community Safety Group and Bedfordshire Police in an attempt to reduce the number of shop break-ins and to reduce crime as much as we can.

“We have faced challenges in the town centre, as people have broken into shops to raid the tills. We can’t say for certain yet whether crime has gone up or down [as a result] but hopefully this is a starting point.

“With the cameras, we may be able to upgrade them to get a better quality view of some of the perpetrators.”

Among possible new locations, he suggested “some of the alleyways, where we know that if you go one street back there can be dodgy activities taking place”.

During a full council meeting last month, members received graphs of statistics from Bedfordshire Police, which demonstrated that although there had been a “considerable reduction” in thefts or attempted thefts during August compared to June or July, the overall number of these crimes recorded from March to July had increased from 2019 to 2020.

Cllr Fage explained: “It is possible that a lot of people who steal do it as their way of living, and perhaps when the shops reopened they stole more intensively to make up for the money they didn’t make during lockdown.”

In the town centre, businesspeople claim they have not heard of any major incidents post-lockdown, although they recalled a worrying spate of crime around last November and January.

One of the businesses that was targeted was Cafe 8 in Market Square, when, on November 16, burglars smashed through a wall at the back of the building, taking £1,000 from the till. Fortunately, they have not been targeted since, although they said there had been unwelcome activity.

Nesrin Mert, whose husband runs Cafe 8, said: “A few weeks ago there were teenagers on top of our building and we told them to get down. A few weeks later we noticed that somebody had been up and taken out the window, but [thankfully] there are metal bars underneath!”

She added: “We’ve seen shoplifters dashing off on their bikes to get away. I think it’s still going on, but I’m not in town as often as I used to be.”

Bex Harris, owner of Pictures of Lily tattoo and piercing studio, claimed: “I don’t think CCTV cameras will really affect the crime levels. I think a greater police presence would be more beneficial. We need more bobbies on the beat or a private security company.

“Statistics don’t always show the real crime figures, because people won’t always report things. They say ‘what’s the point?’. The police are underfunded and understaffed.

“They prioritise the bigger towns, like Dunstable, so people see Biggleswade as an easy target. We’ve been told that people come in from bigger towns, as they see the town as easy pickings.

“I think the town needs a bit more investment and fresh thinking. I like the idea of BID; businesses pay them a small annual fee and they help with improvements and events. They can provide town centre rangers who improve the safety of the area.”

Cllr Duncan Strachan, the council’s Police Liaison, urged: “We all know that Bedfordshire Police has been underfunded proportionately over the years by central government, but the most important thing is that if there is a crime, it is reported. Even if nothing happens immediately, it means the police can find trends and target areas.”

Sergeant Simon Butler, from North Central Bedfordshire Community Policing Team, said: “Our community team will be working closely with our partners and community safety groups to carry out patrols in the area and support local shops and businesses by providing them with crime prevention advice.”

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