'End scandal of over 23,000 unsolved crimes in Bedfordshire' says Lib Dem PCC candidate

The Liberal Democrat candidate in the race to be Bedfordshire's next Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) is calling for a return to "proper community policing".
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Jas Parmar's campaign team claim that "half of all people say they never see police patrols in their local area".

The Lib Dems have cited Office for National Statistics (ONS) data, which reveals that 23,571 crimes reported to Bedfordshire police last year were closed without a suspect being identified.

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This figure includes 3,272 burglaries, 829 car thefts and 290 robberies.

Lib Dem candidate Jas Parmar is calling for a return of "proper community policing"Lib Dem candidate Jas Parmar is calling for a return of "proper community policing"
Lib Dem candidate Jas Parmar is calling for a return of "proper community policing"

The party’s analysis further alleges that 83% of all burglary cases and 41% of robberies in Bedfordshire are closed without a suspect being identified.

Jas Parmar, Liberal Democrat candidate for Bedfordshire PCC, said: “Everyone in Bedfordshire should be able to feel safe in their homes and walking down our streets.

"But this Conservative government is leaving our communities vulnerable and letting criminals get away with it.

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“Bedfordshire police need the officers, resources and time to focus on preventing and solving crimes. Instead, Ministers want to waste police time chasing centralised Whitehall targets and carrying out pointless stop and search."

Mr Parmar has called for "a return to proper community policing", where "officers are visible, trusted and known personally to local people".

The election for Bedfordshire's next police and crime commissioner takes place on May 6. See here for our profiles of candidates.