IT is the quaint commuter town where residents could once sleep soundly at night.
But locals say Leighton Buzzard, 30 minutes from central London, has become increasingly “lawless” and is now plagued by crooks and drug addicts.
And with the police too often refusing to intervene as the criminals run riot, they are being left to fend for themselves.
The Sun returned to the Bedfordshire town two years after our last hard-hitting report on the shoplifting and burglary epidemic that had terrified business owners, at a time when the county constabulary was insisting it was taking robust action.
But we found that shoplifters have become so brazen they are now even targeting charity stores on the high street.
Raja Razzaq suffered life-changing injuries when he and his brother detained two robbers that had broken into his New Road convenience store and Post Office back in 2023.
He says things have got even worse since then and with Bedfordshire police refusing to help, he has given up fighting back against the crimewave.
Pointing to the boards he uses to safeguard his shop windows at night, he said: “I contacted my MP about what happened, and I hoped something would be done, but I’ve had three more break-ins since then.
“The window repair man tells me I’m his best customer. The last time they broke in they stole cash, stamps and delivery parcels.
“The police were laughing about it saying, ‘Why are they stealing parcels?’
“But they contained items people have purchased online and that all needs to be claimed through the insurance now.
“I’ve given up, to be honest. I don’t even call the police when shoplifters come into my store because what is the point?
“Boys come here and nick stuff and run away and I don’t intervene because there’s nothing I can do.
“I don’t know what to say to the government. The police say they can’t help, but we can’t afford to pay for our own security.
“I’m worried all the time that someone will break in again.
“Leighton Buzzard feels lawless and it’s only getting worse. I’ve been running this shop for 20 years and I’ve never had to board up my shop at night before, but that is what I am doing now.”
Raja was visibly limping when we last spoke to him and two years on, his injuries are just as noticeable today.
He was opening his store at 5.30am on 18 August 2023 when two men forced their way inside and began ransacking the shelves.
I’m worried all the time that someone will break in again
Raja Razzaq
In October that year, he told The Sun: “One of the men walked to the back of the store and grabbed about 17 items. I shouted, ‘Stop, where are you going?’
“He carried on walking so I grabbed the other one and said, ‘Your friend didn’t pay.’
“He tried to run away but my brother and I pinned him to the floor.
“He was punching us and biting my hand and threatening to kill us and it took all our strength to hold him there.
“At some point the other one came back. I don’t know if he was on drugs or what, but he kicked me with so much power that he fractured a bone in my leg.
“I was crying in pain and had to use crutches for weeks afterwards. It took the police 45 minutes to arrive – we had to hold these two big men in their 30s for all that time.”
The men were arrested but to their horror, Raja and his brother felt it was them that ended up being treated like suspects, as the investigating officers decided to quiz THEM about their actions.
And despite handing over a raft of evidence including CCTV camera footage of the incident, those responsible have yet to be charged.
Looking drained and older than his 58 years, Raja added: “I haven’t been the same since that day.
I haven’t been the same since that day
Raja Ra
“I couldn’t work for six months. I was on crutches for almost a year.
“I’m still not able to sit properly because something is wrong with my body. I fell over recently and fractured my wrist and I’m having to have a MRI scan on my right shoulder.
“My children are NHS doctors and they told me, ‘You will have to live with these injuries now.’”
Eight stores in one night
Two weeks ago, just before The Sun team arrived, another eight businesses along Leighton Buzzard high street were targeted.
Paul Judge Jordan is team leader at the Willen Hospice shop on the high street where brazen thieves smashed the shopfront window in the early hours of Sunday, November 16.
They stooped as low as nicking the charity’s donation jar filled with cash intended to help terminally-ill patients.
Paul, 59, said: “Eight shops were broken into in total. They broke our door and took computers and the charity pot and jewellery jars full of costume jewellery.
“They must be desperate to break the bottom window and scramble through there.
“They also broke into the food hall next door that has been closed for eight weeks.
“It’s a pain having the window fixed and they tried to break into the safe with a metal crowbar.
“We are a hospice and it’s going to make a dent in our finances because we won’t claim on insurance, but people have been very kind and popping in to donate £10 or £20 to help us out.
“As far as I know the police have got a specialist team on it but crime does seem to be increasing.
“We’ve been getting shoplifters in here which is surprising as we are a charity store, but there are lots of desperate people out there.”
An uptick in crime
Speaking next to his market stall as a uniformed police officer strolled past, Dave ‘The Fruit’ Winterflood said he has noticed an uptick in crime since 2020.
He said: “I’ve been running fruit and veg stalls for 40 years and I’ve seen how the country changed during Covid.
“The younger generation is lazy, they don’t want to work and they want their shopping delivered to their doorstep.
“Crime has increased because no-one has any money.
“I live in Luton and it’s become a complete sh*t hole – there are crack addicted zombies stumbling around everywhere – and it’s much worse than here.
“I used to make good money doing this and now I’m lucky to break even.”
Naeem Khan, 64, runs Mr Mitchell’s Dry Cleaning, another one of the businesses targeted by the thieves.
He said: “This is normal now. There is no policing in Leighton Buzzard.
“I’ve been here 20 years and this used to be a peaceful town and a great place to live.
“Now there are homeless people and drunks and drug addicts everywhere you look.
You can smell the drugs they smoke when you walk down the street
Dave ‘The Fruit’ Winterflood
“You can smell the drugs they smoke when you walk down the street.
“I think it started to change about eight years ago. I was in bed when the break-in happened because it was the early hours of Sunday morning, about 3am.
“They used a crowbar to prise open the door and I still don’t know if they stole anything.
“They also broke into the butchers down the road even though he has been closed for two months.
“No one has cash now so they didn’t get away with much other than a few pounds in till.
“I still think this could be a nice town but the police need to look after it better. I don’t bother to phone them anymore because all you get in return is a crime reference number.”
Sian Harvey-Wilde, 35, runs Wilde Flower Boutique next door to the dry cleaners.
She said: “Our door was broken and they went for our till but there wasn’t much cash, maybe £3.
“That can’t have impressed them much because they left it in there. They didn’t take anything at all.
“The cost was that I had to spend my day off coming in to take care of it.
“Someone called the police when it was going on and they didn’t respond. That’s how it is with the police nowadays.
“There is no police presence in Leighton Buzzard and the kids know that and that’s why they keep doing these things.
“The amount of thefts that happen daily around here is ridiculous, there must be half a dozen a day.
“I’ve run this place for six years and crime has got much worse in the past three years. I don’t want to talk the place down because we are already struggling to get people to come into town.
“But the police must have an inkling who is committing these crimes and unless they do something about it finally they will just carry on.”
Statement from Bedfordshire Police
Leighton Buzzard is one of the specific areas Bedfordshire Police will continue to focus on as part of the Winter Policing Plan, which is designed to reduce retail crime and anti-social behaviour in our town centres.
Chief Inspector Jim Goldsmith, who is in charge of Neighbourhood Policing in Central Bedfordshire, said: “We are committed to tackling burglary and retail crime, as well as related offences including handling stolen goods.
“Retail theft is not a victimless crime and burglaries of retail units can have a significant impact on those who work there.
“We are working hard to reduce crime in Leighton Buzzard, and would ask people to continue to report incidents.
“There is not always the evidence to support charges against individuals or a realistic chance of conviction, but every report is examined for evidential possibilities and the information helps us to build an intelligence picture which, in turn informs future plans.”
An investigation is currently under way in regards to the burglaries in the early hours of 16 November and we are following a number of lines of inquiry.
We would appeal to anyone with any information to get in touch as a matter of urgency.
Community officers have been engaging with the businesses involved and we have stepped up patrols and targeted operations in Leighton Buzzard to deter offenders and prevent further crime.
People can report crimes or give information here: https://www.beds.police.uk/ro/report/
