There have been reports of issues with teenage anti-social behaviour (ASB) in Wixams for a good few years now, For example we’ve seen reports of drug use in playparks and in the derelict houses on Bedford Road / Southern Cross. Comments have been made about gangs of teens hanging around outside Welcome Co-op and harassing passers by. Residents have expressed that the teenagers intimidate them and they avoid parts of Wixams at times of the day. Even Halloween isn’t safe; it’s a very busy evening in Wixams, but some teenagers have been spoiling the fun for the last few years by harassing people, throwing eggs and flour at houses, damaging decorations and emptying bowls of sweets left out for the little trick-or-treaters.
This summer the issues here stepped up to another level. There have been cases of arson, knife crime, theft and criminal damage. This is mostly by teenagers, but in some cases much younger kids are involved too.
Whilst residents have complained about the issues for years, little effective action has been taken, so what started as mostly anti-social behaviour has now turned into something much more serious.
To help start tackling these issues we hosted another Wixams Residents’ Meeting on 3rd September 2024 and the main topic was Crime & Anti-Social Behaviour. We welcomed two main speakers: John Tizard, the Police & Crime Commissioner for Bedfordshire, and Inspector Russell Goldsmith from the North Beds Rural Community Policing Team which covers Wixams.
News & Updates
The meeting was introduced by Leon Staszak from our group, he covered some of the recent news and updates for Wixams:
- Members of our group recently met with our new MP Blake Stephenson to talk about some of the issues in Wixams. Due to the general election the Surgery Task Force meetings scheduled by Alistair Strathern, our previous MP, had been postponed. However, Blake and Alistair have already met and started a handover of the surgery work. He has now also met with the Bedfordshire Luton & Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board (BLMK ICB) and we’re currently waiting for a date for the next Task Force meeting with Blake, the ICB and other stakeholders.
- The Wixams Station has been signed off and work has now started! Village 4 residents have shared with us letters they received from Network Rail informing them of enabling work taking place on the line in September.
- Four new pedestrian crossings are planned for Wixams, two in the current financial year and two in the next year. The proposal for the crossing on Brooklands Avenue has now been shared by the highways team.
- Leon spoke about the G-Park development as earlier in the year he had worked for Metro, owners of the unit closest to The Causeway. Whilst the company were a good employer, the warehouse is used for storage and not distribution, so relatively few people are employed there. The next residents’ meeting will look into this further and will be about careers and employment.
Before handing over to the PCC Leon highlighted some of the results from the 2021 Wixams Residents’ Survey related to crime and teen facilities, shown below.
PCC John Tizard
The Police & Crime Commissioner gave an overview of his role and plans for his tenure:
- He explained that he appreciated the concerns and frustration of residents and remarked that so many people had turned up to the meeting.
- The PCC role is strategic and not operational, he has no authority over any policing teams in the county at all. His role is to be the voice of the community into the police rather than the police into the community. He is also there to hold the Chief Constable to account and has a remit across the wider criminal justice system.
- Part of his role is to publish a Police & Crime Plan. Mr Tizard explained that he intended to publish two plans, a 6 month plan will be published in the first week of October to cover the following 6 months. Then a three year plan will be published next year.
- He highlighted that most violent crime is drug related, and the rise in knife crime is one of the biggest concerns.
- Better communication is needed and meetings such as this are a large part of community policing. He would also like to reinvigorate local policing, whereby police officers know their community and are known by residents.
- There will be a focus on reducing violent crimes against women and children, adolescent mental health is another concern.
North Bedfordshire Rural Community Policing Team
Inspector Goldsmith leads the North Beds Rural Community Policing Team, he and Sgt Sarah Cluff gave an update on the team’s size, remit and actions:
- The team is made up of four Police Constables and two PCSOs, but they cover 54 parishes in north Bedfordshire including Wixams.
- Inspector Goldsmith described that he believes in old school community policing. The team will be increasing its resource and will be getting a new PC who will be dedicated to Wixams only.
- A Problem-Solving Package has been created within the team for Wixams and officers and PCSOs are dedicating an additional 2 hours to foot patrols in Wixams.
- They are looking for a location here to serve as a police hub for officers to work from in Wixams.
- The team work in partnership with councils and they highlighted that joint meetings help tackle issues from a joint perspective. They are part of the Wixams Joint Action Group (JAG) (see further down the page) which holds monthly meetings to look at the issues.
- The JAG visited Wixams in August and the team visited some homes in Wixams to speak to some parents whose children have been involved in the recent issues. Two arrests have now been made related to the criminal acts in Wixams.
- A resident highlighted that one of the issues in Wixams is that part of the town is covered by the Ampthill team and a single team would be more effective.
- Residents asked questions about some of the recent issues and highlighted that the parents are a large part of the problem. Comments were made about taking stronger action being taken to hold parents to account.
Meeting Outcomes
The meeting itself ran fairly well, but it was clear that residents were mostly focused on action being taken against the teenagers who have been causing the issues, and wanted to understand what the police have been doing about it. Unfortunately the meeting ran over and frustrations were expressed that people didn’t get a chance to have their say.
Our residents’ meeting was just the starting point, and attendees certainly left a mark on our guest speakers as they have now taken action to bring more focus on Wixams and start tackling some of the underpinning issues:
- The PCC has written to key stakeholders in the county, including councillors and parish councils, and has now scheduled a meeting for 10th October. In his letter he highlights how over 50 residents attended the meeting and they demonstrated the how severe the issues are here. He also recognises that the police cannot resolve the issues alone so is using his powers to bring people together to find short and long-term solutions.
- The North Beds Policing Team have also taken action, they recognise that residents need another opportunity to continue the conversation from our residents’ meeting so scheduled their own meeting. This will took place on Tuesday 1st October.
- The Joint Action Group is led by the Community Safety team at Bedford Borough Council, and made up of stakeholders from Bedfordshire Police, Bedfordshire Fire Service, housing associations and more. They will be visiting Wixams again on 19th November as it’s recognised that residents need more opportunities to express their concerns.
Wixams Joint Action Group
In July a member of Wixams Parish Council reported the recent issues to Bedfordshire Police and Bedford Borough Council. The message seemed to get through to the right people and now a Wixams Joint Action Group (JAG) was established, which includes stakeholders from across the county, including our group. The first meeting was held on Tuesday 23rd July, it was led by the lead officer of the Community Safety Team at Bedford Borough Council, and the group discussed some of the issues which had taken place and what actions can be taken.
Some of the points raised and actions:
- The Community Safety Officer asked for a list of all issues raised by residents to Wixams Parish Council.
- They also asked for a list of all the reported fires from the representative from Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service.
- The police are already working through the crimes and issues that have been reported to them.
- For some of the incidents the police and council will be sending letters to and visiting parents to speak to them directly.
- There are also ongoing criminal investigations for arson and robbery.
- An action day was held in Wixams on Tuesday 20th August.
- The JAG attended our residents’ meeting on 3rd September and plan to come back to Wixams in October to engage with residents further.
We will provide updates where we can, but we have asked that Bedfordshire Police and the council establish their own lines of communication with residents in Wixams. This is especially important so that residents know how to communicate back too.
Report Every Incident
So that the police and other stakeholders can prioritise issues and allocate resources, they ask that people report every incident to 101. This can be done over the phone, but the recommendation is to use the online reporting tool: