Bedfordshire Police praises watch scheme volunteers

We have thanked our watch scheme volunteers for their dedication and assistance in keeping Bedfordshire safe in 2022.

Volunteers provide a vital resource for the force. They do excellent work to support local policing teams and provide reassurance to residents.

Over the past year, the Street, Dog and Horse Watch teams have dedicated an incredible 6,205 hours of volunteer work and completed more than 360 incident reports. They also attended 60 engagement events, working alongside community policing teams to speak to members of the community about the work they’re doing.

Meanwhile, Speed Watch volunteers, alongside the Bedford Borough Council speed awareness vehicle, have carried out more than 1,300 Speed Watch sessions in 2022. This has led to over 5,400 letters being sent to drivers concerning their speeding, as well as nearly 40 drivers being visited by police officers having been caught speeding on numerous occasions.

Watch Scheme Coordinator Juliet Wright said: “Watch schemes are a great way to give back to the community and meet new people. They help deter criminal activity, feed information into officers and the council, whilst providing a visible presence in the communities they cover.

“Though we only ask volunteers to commit to two hours a month, many volunteers choose to do more. All training is provided for you, including specific training from officers on how to report and deal with any situations you come across.”

A number of new schemes were set up in 2022, including the Wixams Street Watch, New Cardington Street Watch, Renhold Speed Watch and Pulloxhill Speed Watch.

If you are interested in volunteering through a watch scheme, or setting one up in your area, please visit our Watch Scheme section.