Bedford guards are paramilitary wing of cafe, says councillor

A private security team hired to patrol a town has been described as “the paramilitary wing of a coffee shop”.

The guards in Bedford are funded by the owner of a coffee shop, who said they were all licensed professionals.

But, during a police and crime panel meeting, the service was scrutinised by councillors who felt that town centre security should be provided by the police or council staff.

One councillor described the use of private patrols as “very worrying”.

Peter McCormack, who owns Real Bedford Football Club as well as the Real Coffee shop in Bedford, started funding private security patrols on Saturdays last month.

He said it was “very, very rare” to see police officers on patrol and his girlfriend was afraid to visit the town with her son.

At Tuesday’s meeting of the police and crime panel, Tim Caswell, a Liberal Democrat borough councillor, said he preferred to see accountable police officers and PCSOs in town rather than what he described as “the paramilitary wing of a coffee shop”.

An independent member of the panel, Lee Melville, said it was “very worrying” that private security staff were patrolling the town centre.

Mr McCormack told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “I actually agree it is very worrying, I would much rather not be spending £10,000 a month on private security.

“What Bedford requires is more funding for policing, not excuses.”

He said the guards “are not thugs or a ‘paramilitary wing of a coffee shop’”.

They were licensed professionals from Belmont Security, a long-established firm that has run security for the local business improvement company, the Bedford Park Concerts, and numerous local businesses, he said.

“Nobody objected then, but now that they are protecting families and shopkeepers, suddenly it is a problem.”

The panel heard that Bedfordshire Police’s own summer safety campaign had resulted in 121 fines for anti-social behaviour in the town centre and 34 arrests.

When the private security team was launched, the police and crime commissioner (PCC), John Tizard, said there were problems with people abusing drugs and alcohol in Bedford and admitted some people might not always feel safe.

But he said there was now an average of four officers a day patrolling the town.

He told the panel anti-social behaviour in Bedford had fallen by 15% over the past two years.

There was “no place on our streets for private security firms”, he continued.

Mr McCormack told the LDRS: “For [the PCC] to say there is ‘no place for private security’ is effectively to argue that we should leave residents to face more danger – that is shameful.”