Two arrests after Bedford incident

Two people have been arrested following a police operation at a block of flats in Bedford.

Police were called at around 6am on Sunday (27 November) to reports of a man in possession of a firearm at the Bury Court block of flats in Church Lane.

Armed police officers were quickly in attendance and able to contain the incident to a single flat at the address.

During the course of the morning, a small number of nearby flats were evacuated as a precaution.

Specialist police negotiators were called in and at around lunchtime a man from inside the address handed himself over to police. He was subsequently arrested.

A second man then handed himself into police shortly before 6pm and was also arrested.

No one else was identified in the flat and no one suffered any injuries.

Detective Chief Superintendent Dee Perkins from Bedfordshire Police said: “This has already been a long and challenging operation and alongside our partners, our officers and staff will continue their hard work as we now enter the recovery phase.

“Any incident involving firearms is deeply concerning and our detectives are thoroughly investigating what happened.

“Finally, I would like to thank the other residents of Bury Court and the wider community for their ongoing support, patience and resilience.

“I know these events will have undoubtedly caused some distress in the local community and I would urge people to reach out to the appropriate agencies for support.

“There will also be a visible police presence in the area for the days ahead to provide reassurance so I would urge people with any information or concerns to make contact with us.”

You can contact police via the online reporting tool or by calling 101.

Specialist support for victims of crime is also available from Bedfordshire Victim Care Services.