Bedford Town Manager Jessie Levine knows that statistics showing her town is one of the safest in the state have little meaning if residents don’t feel secure in their homes.
“The statistical safety and the sense of safety are two different things. We can reassure people that Bedford has a low crime index and that our police are doing everything they can but unless they actually really feel that then we’ve been unable to get that message across.”
It’s that message that Levine and police officials hope to convey during a community meeting Thursday night.
Levine said many residents have been feeling on edge following a home invasion the night of Nov. 24. The couple living at the home was found seriously injured. Their 2-year-old child was unharmed.
While there will be a chance for questions at tonight’s forum, Levine says residents should not expect police to be able to offer any more details about the investigation, which is ongoing. A suspect has not been arrested. Police met with residents in the neighborhood Monday.
Levine says the intention of the meeting is restore a sense of calm and discuss what is being done to establish safety in the community as a whole.
A 2011 report by the New Hampshire Center for Public Policy showed that over a five-year period, Bedford had the second-lowest violent crime rate in the state among larger cities and towns.
Thursday’s meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at Bedford High School.
