Force rated 'inadequate' at cracking crime

A report has labelled Bedfordshire Police "inadequate" when it comes to investigating crime.

Inspectors said the force had "deteriorated" in that area, which was "a significant concern".

HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services also found problems with leadership, crime deterrence and managing fraud.

Bedfordshire Police said it accepted the report's findings.

Police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy inspections were introduced in 2014.

The latest report for Bedfordshire makes grim reading for senior leaders, rank and file police officers and the people they serve.

None of the nine areas scrutinised by inspectors achieved a "good" or "outstanding" rating, with the investigation of crime receiving the lowest possible grade.

The report said that in 85 cases reviewed by the inspection team, the force had taken "appropriate investigative opportunities" in just 57 of them.

The team also found that 56 of 70 cases they reviewed showed no evidence of effective supervision during investigations.

According to the report, these findings were "particularly concerning as they represent a decline in performance compared with the 2023-25 inspection".

The force's response to allegations of fraud was also criticised, with most cases being managed by "investigators who weren't trained in fraud investigation".

Just 11 of the 401 files opened in the two years to March 2025 resulted in a suspect being charged or cautioned with a fraud offence.

HM Inspector of Constabulary Roy Wilsher acknowledged that Bedfordshire Police "is one of the smallest geographically, and among the lowest funded per head of population".

But this context did not "diminish the importance of the areas for improvement we have identified", he said.

Chief Constable Trevor Rodenhurst said: "We welcome the independent scrutiny provided by HMICFRS and accept the report's findings and recommendations.

"We recognise the need to progress further and have improvement plans in place focused on strengthening the supervision and quality of our investigations and improving how we support and keep victims informed.

"As one of the lowest funded forces in England and Wales, it is vitally important that improvements are delivered in a sustainable way.

"The police and crime commissioner and I will therefore continue to make the case nationally for a fairer funding settlement that better reflects the demands we face in Bedfordshire."

Police and Crime Commissioner John Tizard said: "The report recognises that Bedfordshire has historically been and continues to be one of the lowest funded police services in the country, whilst experiencing some of the country's most complex and challenging crimes.

"The report rightly says we need more police officers. We estimate that we currently have 500 too few officers because of government funding levels for the last decade and more. This gap makes a difference."

One thing that is clear from the report is that Bedfordshire Police has tried to improve since the last report, but improvement is proving difficult to achieve.

The inspector himself realises the force is small and underfunded, and that situation is not likely to change in the short term.

The Labour government said that its funding settlement for police forces across the country for this year was £1.3bn more than last year, representing 4.4% more money in real terms.

But the force would argue it needs more than that to make up for the historic underfunding.

The home secretary indicated earlier this year that she intended to merge police forces to create larger bodies, and this could lead to economies of scale, releasing funds to invest in better policing.

But there is a fear that bigger forces will mean cuts to local policing and lower detection rates.

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