Councillors say crime prevention hub should be set up close to scene of Bedfordshire triple stabbing

Councillors have called for a crime prevention hub to be set up close to the scene of a double murder.

The new centre should be created in Houghton Regis in the aftermath of a triple stabbing in which two people died, a local councillor warned.

Four men have been charged with murder after an incident in Tithe Farm Road, on November 13, which left a third man seriously injured.

In a social media post, Independent Tithe Farm Central Bedfordshire councillor Pat Hamill, said: "I want all residents to feel safe on our streets and in their homes.

"We've a retail unit available which could be used as a crime prevention hub within All Saints View, easily accessible to the public. It's an ideal location within a town centre setting which has seen its fair share of criminality.

"We desperately need a police presence, but we must start from the basics to hopefully persuade Bedfordshire Police to come on board at some stage."

Councillor Hamill wants a police presence in the town, and support from other organisations including the the council's community safety team, Bedfordshire Street Watch, Neighbourhood Watch, Pubwatch, CCTV and "the wealth of volunteers we can hopefully tap into", he explained.

"This would help man the hub to maximise the effect of deterring criminals, who burgle our homes and make our streets unsafe because of their criminal activities... This has to change. We must ask Beds Police to contribute by supporting a crime prevention hub in our town and by providing the foot soldiers to go with it."

"We wouldn't expect the police and other groups to hang about for a crime to happen, rather to use the hub as a base so residents can be assured of a police presence."