Late night policing in Biggleswade has come under fire following criticism from a town councillor.
Councillor Bernard Rix says policing in Biggleswade after 10pm at night is insufficient, leading to problems with antisocial behaviour in the town centre and in residential roads.
Mr Rix’s comments follow a Biggleswade Town Council meeting on Tuesday (April 23) when PCSO Helen Randall presented crime figures for the last year to the council.
The figures show that there has been a reduction in most types of crime since April last year.
But Mr Rix attributes problems with antisocial behaviour to a lack of available police officers in the evenings.
Speaking after the meeting, he said: “The local police team will usually go off duty at around 10pm, and after this time calls will be answered by the response team, who could be anywhere else in the county.
“As such problems will occur in places like Eagle Farm Road, where I have heard reports from residents of late night disturbances and antisocial behaviour.”
But a spokeswomman for Bedfordshire Police denied that officers finish their shifts at 10pm and said there is always a significant police presence at night.
She said: “The community policing team finish duty at midnight and overlap their late shift on busy weekend evenings with the Special Constabulary who with full warranted powers, police the town’s night-time economy into the small hours.
“If needed, regular response officers are available all over the county including Biggleswade and will assist. “
Arrests have also taken place following a spate of robberies in the town centre at the start of the year, and there have been no such crimes reported since, the spokesman added.
Figures reveal that the reduction in crime includes violence against the person, vehicle crime, fraud, criminal damage and drugs offences.
Sexual offences and domestic burglaries have increased, though.