Bury St Edmunds police take SuffolkNews on patrol in the town centre on a Friday night to find out what is being done to help keep women and girls safe

From trying out a cell - to being amazed by hundreds of CCTV cameras, here’s what happened when I went on patrol with police in a Suffolk town.

As temperatures dipped towards freezing on Friday evening, I joined Inspector Andy Beeby at Bury St Edmunds Police Station.

Our first stop on patrol, was a look around the Police Investigation Centre, known in ‘the job’ as the PIC.

I was told that roughly 4,500 ‘guests’ pass through the PIC on average each year, and soon spotted someone sheepishly being booked in by officers.

Those arrested in Bury and surrounding Suffolk towns are taken to the PIC, often to sober up before being interviewed in the cold light of day.

Inspector Beeby was keen to show me the cells, to me they seemed quite spacious but I was assured after 24-hours they would feel anything but.

Trying out a cell bed and getting a behind the scenes look at an interview room was a bit of fun, however the main reason for my night with the police was to find what is being done in Suffolk to help keep women and girls safe.

This comes after extra night-time patrols were announced in Newmarket as part of a national strategy to protect women and girls from violence.

At the PIC I was told how anyone suspected of domestic violence is now drug tested on arrival, partly due to a link between cocaine and violence - something also being witnessed in football stadiums across the country.

If drugs are detected in someone's system, they are given the chance to take the positive step of taking an appointment at the Turning Point addiction charity in Bury.

Then if they fail to turn up for their appointment, or refuse to take the test, they are charged with an offence.

Inspector Beeby ran through all the orders and injunctions that can be used against perpetrators of domestic violence, stalking and also child abuse, even if there is not enough evidence for a criminal conviction.

Domestic Violence Protection Notice / Order

One key piece of legislation is the Domestic Violence Protection Notice, an emergency protection measure which places prohibitions on abusers, which can include removing them from a family home.

Within 48-hours the notice is heard in the magistrates’ court, where it can be turned into an order valid for up to 28 days.

These orders are often used where there is insufficient evidence to prosecute, allowing time for victims to apply for injunctions or move to a safe location.

Suffolk Police also work with charity Lighthouse Women’s Aid, which has independent workers in Bury police station.

Whilst on patrol we could hear calls coming in from the police control room, including one when a woman had called 999 and hung up, but the operator had picked up the sound of a man swearing loudly in the background of the call.

The inspector said that calls like this are ones that he and his team have to be alert to, and their system will flash up if they are linked to the home of someone suspected of domestic violence previously.

Next came the most fascinating part of my night patrol - it involved absolutely no dramatic chases, but a trip to the West Suffolk Council offices to see inside the CCTV control room.

The impressive control room and the team working there 24-hours a day are a crucial link the police have.

I was astounded by the huge wall of television screens - covering towns across the county.

Whilst I stared wide-eyed at the screens, the two men working the night shift were able to tell me every location, even from the smallest of screens.

It reassured me to see 4K night-vision CCTV coverage over open spaces which can be intimidating at night: including the Tayfen Road nature reserve in Bury and the Recreation Ground in Stowmarket.

Though those operating the top-quality cameras don’t watch people for no good reason (they are not Big Brother) they have developed a ‘copper’s nose’ for when something doesn’t quite sit right.

So if they spotted a lone female slumped on the pavement, or in a vulnerable situation, they can directly contact police. And they have the ability to quickly review footage if there are suspects that need to be found quickly.

For a Friday night in the run up to Christmas, Bury seemed very quiet, and on a brief walkaround this was confirmed by door staff at the town’s major venues including Flex and Nightjars (previously Karooze) which Inspector Beeby seemed to have a good working relationship with.

Back in the police car, talk turned to some of the big issues and cases policing has faced in recent years - specifically the death of Sarah Everard, killed by Met Police Officer Wayne Couzens in 2021.

I heard real concern and frustration in Inspector Beeby’s voice, as he discussed Couzens and how it it has led to officers in Suffolk being called rapists and being mistrusted by those they are trying to help.

But it isn’t all negative.

In Suffolk Constabulary, there is roughly a 50/50 split between female and male recruits, something that the inspector is proud of. When it comes to protecting women and girls this can only be a good thing.

There are some victims that feel more comfortable speaking to a woman, something I can understand.

On most occasions police cars in Suffolk are single crewed meaning male officers have to think outside-the-box if they spot a woman or girl who is potentially vulnerable, as they don’t want them to feel frightened.

For example, instead of driving a woman home they may now stay with them until they are picked up by a partner, friend or a family member or lend them a phone so they can call a taxi.

All officers now wear body-worn cameras to protect the public, but also themselves.

As we drove around Bury, checking industrial estates for joy riders or unwanted visitors, the inspector asked me if I would feel safe on a night out in the town.

I said that a decade ago I would walk around Bury at night without any real fear - but now as a mum and possibly in the wake of the Couzens case I was much more wary. My job, hearing about the worst types of crime, might have something to do with it too.

The inspector, a firm believer that Bury on a night out is a safe place for women, seemed politely bemused by this, but also genuinely interested in what I had to say.

Reflecting on my night out on patrol, which admittedly was a quiet one, I found the evidence I saw did actually make me feel safer.

Hardworking, decent, police officers and inspectors in towns like Bury are adapting to changing times and concerns.

Which leads me to believe, with the aid of the CCTV control room, Suffolk Police are well prepared to respond proactively to any danger faced by women and girls.