Police and council officers carried out a huge clean-up operation in the Farley Hill area of Luton last week as part of the town's ongoing community safety project.

The SoLUTiONs initiative deals with crime and anti-social behaviour, but also other issues such as unkempt communal areas and shops selling alcohol to underage drinkers

Police visited more than 200 homes to give out Smartwater, a new security product that has a unique chemical code for marking valuables, so that they can be identified if they are recovered after a burglary.

A team also visited people living in sheltered accommodation at Felmersham Court to transform their communal garden, painting the summer house and creating new flowerbeds.

During the week-long SoLUTiONs event, the team also carried out crackdowns on abandoned or unlicensed vehicles, patrolled the streets for people causing nuisance noise at night and carried out home fire safety checks.

Police seized two motorbikes, arrested several people for drug offences, and fined one driver £250 for using the wrong type of diesel in their vehicle. Car number plates were also secured to prevent them being stolen and used on vehicles involved in crimes.

Six shops were tested using a child volunteer to see if they would sell alcohol to someone underage, and three are now under investigation for failing to check the age of the customer.

To find out more about the SoLUTioNs initiative, click here.


Bedfordshire Police