Working in partnership with the Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner and Bedfordshire Police, we carried out comprehensive research into public attitudes towards policing and crime across the county. Conducted at a regional level and focused on Bedfordshire’s three districts, this granular analysis provided the PCC and the police force with invaluable insights into how residents’ views vary locally, highlighting key areas of strength and those requiring improvement. We also benchmarked findings against a nationally representative poll conducted simultaneously.

Our approach combined quantitative data from a large-scale, representative survey of Bedfordshire residents with qualitative insights from three focus groups held across the county’s Community Safety Partnership (CSP) areas. We also benchmarked findings against a nationally representative poll conducted simultaneously. To ensure robust representation of Bedfordshire’s large ethnic minority population – often under-represented in online panels- we supplemented our methodology with face-to-face polling, completing 503 in-person interviews.