The number of incidents reported to police has increased by 13% in Leighton over the last year, one of which was an alleged violent attack on an eight-month-old baby.
During a meeting of the Leighton-Linslade partnership committee on Thursday, it was revealed that 1,853 crimes had been recorded in the town from October 2013 to September 2014.
That rate is a 13% increase on the same period in the previous 12 months, while there was also a 9% spike in the amount of domestic burglaries.
One of the most startling incidents included in the report is an alleged assault on an eight-month-old baby, who was said to be kicked in the head in Parson’s Close Recreation Ground between 5pm and 6pm on July 30.
A 17-year-old male has been arrested and bailed in connection with this incident.
Also included in the report is a list of CCTV incidents caught between June and September, one of which details the arrest of a man spotted leaving Tesco on Vimy Road with a gun at 6.15am on July 18.
The man was stopped on Willow Bank Walk and detained by officers.
Chief Insp Tania Coulson told the LBO: “While it is always disappointing to see an increase in recorded crime, it must be remembered that the majority of these incidents tend to be low level offences.
“For instance, in September 2014 we saw an increase of 28 ‘theft other’ offences – items such as mobile phones – when compared to September 2013.
“A lot of hard work has taken place in Leighton Linslade to address any patterns of crime such as the slight increase in domestic burglaries that we saw in the winter.”