Drugs worth around £4.3million taken off streets by Beds Police

Illegal drugs worth at least £4.3million were taken off the streets of Bedfordshire in 2022, five times as much as the previous year.

New figures show Beds Police seized almost 23 kilos of cocaine and heroin and 6,500 cannabis plants over the past 12 months.

The force’s Boson guns and gangs team also secured charges against two Bedford men in their 30s for possession with intent to supply both crack cocaine and heroin.The operation followed the recovery of a large amount of suspected Class A drugs from a vehicle in the town on Wednesday.

Detective Chief Inspector Dani Bailey, Beds Police’s drugs lead, said: “These results are testament to the major focus we have across our organisation on tackling serious and organised crime.

“From specialist units to the community teams who are out on patrol in neighbourhoods across the county every single day – every officer and member of staff is determined to tackle the drugs gangs which drive much of the violence and exploitation we see across the county.

“Enforcement is just one piece of the puzzle, which is why we are working with other agencies like public health and drug and alcohol services on a comprehensive plan to combat drugs and make all of our communities safer.”

Police and Crime Commissioner Festus Akinbusoye vowed tackling drug related serious organised crime was a key pledge in his plan to improve policing in Bedfordshire.

He said: “I welcome these latest results from the force and would like to reiterate this is just a fraction of what we can achieve if given funding that reflects our county’s demand.

“Bedfordshire faces huge pressure from gangs, county lines and organised crime. One-off grants to fund the work of our Boson and Costello teams has helped – and we have delivered fantastic results in return.

“I will not let up in my efforts to make our government see the current police funding formula simply does not work for a county like Bedfordshire and the complex challenges we face, which is why I am pleased ministers have announced they will start consulting on this issue this year.

“In the absence of this wider reform, I will be increasing the police precept by 28 pence per week and at a level below inflation. This will allow Beds Police to continue to address those clear concerns from our communities, which is to see even more officers on the streets – and even more drugs and dealers out of our communities."

The Commissioner has also ensured Beds Police meets its ambitious recruitment targets with the force now on course to have its highest number of police officers at 1,456, as well as investing in its Professional Standards Department to improve internal investigations and vetting.

This is in addition to creating the capacity to invest in dedicated teams like victim engagement officers, who provide specialist support to victims of crime, as well as Bedfordshire Police’s rural crime team.

> The proposed police precept increase by £15 a year for an average Band D property (equivalent to about 28p a week) is due to be discussed at the Police and Crime Panel on Tuesday.