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Pop into Bedford Town Centre today to pick up a free cat-bell from one of the BedfordBID Bluecaps as part of our 'Be Safe, Be Smiling' initiative.

The cat-bells can be attached to purses or handbags to deter would be thieves.

This initiative is being run in conjunction with‘Not in My Neighbourhood Week’.

Crimefighters Team up During ‘Not in My Neighbourhood Week’

A NATIONAL week that highlights how communities can successfully pull together in the fight against crime will be celebrated across Bedfordshire next week.

Neighbourhood Watch, Bedfordshire Police and other agencies are joining forces during ‘Not in My Neighbourhood Week’, which runs from Monday (October 15) to Sunday (October 21) and coincides with the 25th anniversary of Neighbourhood Watch.

On Wednesday (Oct 17) Neighbourhood Watch and fellow members of North Beds Community Safety Group will set up a stall in Harpur Square, Bedford, to highlight how criminal damage is being tackled. Members will hand out a document detailing the partnership work done so far, initiatives in the pipeline and how members of the community can get involved.

From 6.45pm Thursday (Oct 18) North Beds Neighbourhood Watch will hold a conference at police headquarters in Kempston reflecting on its 25 year history, its ambitions for the future and emergency planning procedures.

At 10am On Friday (Oct 19) police Safer Neighbourhood Teams will hold a tack marking session outside Great Barford Post Office followed by another, at 2pm, at the Elizabeth Curtis Riding Centre in Bromham. A general property marking session will be held at Little Staughton on Sunday (October 21).
 
A mobile police station, packed with information about Neighbourhood Watch, will tour Parkside in Houghton Regis throughout the week and support the ‘Pride in Parkside’ initiative spearheaded by South Beds Community Safety Partnership.

In Shefford the week will be used to distribute leaflets and highlighting an event at Shefford fire station in Ivel Road called ‘The Big Picture’. It is on October 26 and 27 and will feature everything from dramatic fire safety displays to the mobile police station and bicycle marking. Residents will also get the chance to complete town council questionnaires about their local community.

 ‘Not in My Neighbourhood Week’ will mark an important chapter in the history of the new Fairfield estate in Stotfold, since its hoped residents will band together to form three new Home Watch groups.

Similar work will be going on in Bedford’s Putnoe and Goldington wards and will continue into the following week when a stall is set up outside Tesco in Goldington Road on October 25.

Safer Neighbourhood Teams across Dunstable, Houghton Regis and Leighton Buzzard will step up the fight against distraction burglars by distributing hundreds of crime prevention leaflets to the friends and family of elderly people. They pose questions like “Who is Mum Letting in Today?” and “Who is at Dad’s Door?”

In Bedford, the Blue Caps and Police Community Support Officers will hand out special “jingle bells” which can be attached to purses and handbags to deter thieves.

Community Safety Manager for Bedfordshire Police, Sandra Murphy, said: “It’s encouraging to see so many partners coming together to mark this week. They are raising awareness of crime reduction work and getting even more people involved.”

* A limited number of places are still available for the Neighbourhood Watch conference at Kempston. Anyone interested in attending should contact North Beds Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator Ian Hunter on 01234 275165