Council asks police to withdraw co-operation from TV series which 'damages town's reputation'
Bedfordshire Police have rebutted claims by Luton Borough Council that the force’s participation in Channel 4’s 24 Hours in Police Custody series damages the town’s public image.
Council chief executive Robin Porter urged the police not to renew participation after the last edition of the most recent series was shown in June.
Mr Porter said the programme “fuels the 'Luton-bashing' we have become accustomed to, which further damages our reputation”.
He added: "This kind of negativity affects our community’s sense of identity and purpose, in limiting their perception of their own lives, relationships and opportunities.
“It's also a kick in the teeth to all of us who work hard every day to support our residents and are trying to take our town forward.”
He said that if the programme continued it should feature a different police force.
In a joint reply, Bedfordshire’s Labour police and crime commissioner John Tizard and chief constable Trevor Rodenhurst said the programme was a valuable way for the police to engage with the public.
They wrote: “Over the past 10 years this programme has had an overwhelmingly positive impact on the public’s perception of policing.
“It is regularly watched by audiences of more than two million viewers, with a large proportion being young people – giving us the opportunity to share crucially important advice and signposting as well as breaking down myths about crime being glamorous or a good lifestyle choice.
“It sends a categoric message that criminals will not be able to operate with impunity in Luton, or anywhere in Bedfordshire, and underlines our relentless commitment to bring offenders to justice.”
The letter cited research by Channel 4, which had found 98% of viewers felt watching the programme either improved or reinforced their positive opinion of the police, while 53% would consider a career in policing, including over 50% of 16-34 year olds.
Recent editions of the programme widened coverage from Luton to the whole of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and the Eastern Regional Special Operations Unit, with only one-third of recent programmes set in Luton.
Episodes of 24 Hours in Police Custody have been used as training tools in over 30 schools and more than 18,000 nursing and healthcare students have watched it as part of teaching, the letter stated. It had also encouraged victims of crime to contact the police.
The commissioner and chief constable said they remained “of the view that 24 Hours in Police Custody makes a positive contribution to policing, transparency and public understanding of police work and supports our commitment to making Luton and Bedfordshire safer.
"However, in light of your concerns we will discuss with the producers to see what measures can be put in place to reduce any negative perceptions of the town.”
The council, commissioner and chief constable subsequently issued a joint statement in which they reiterated their positions but said: “While we have differing perspectives on this programme, we have agreed to speak to the producers to see what measures can be put in place to reduce any negative perceptions of the town in future episodes.”
It added: “Bedfordshire Police and Luton Council value our strong partnership and relationships with our communities and partners. We have listened to the views expressed in your letter, and at our recent meeting.
“A strength of our relationship is that we can respect each other’s views whilst continuing to serve all our communities and demonstrate the positive joint work being done to keep people safe in Luton and across Bedfordshire.”
