PCC updates panel on Police and Crime Plan and reflects on 11 years in office

The Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire has given an update on the latest progress of his Police and Crime Plan.

David Lloyd addressed the Police and Crime Panel to inform them of the development of the plan which sets out his vision for community safety and criminal justice across the county.

During the meeting, held at Three Rivers Council offices, in Rickmansworth, on Thursday evening (November 23) Mr Lloyd also gave an update on the changes which have occurred since he took office in 2012.

Since being published in March last year considerable progress has been made on the plan’s 147 priorities by the Commissioner’s office, the Constabulary and partners in the districts, health, housing, blue light services and volunteers.

Already 66 of the priorities have been completed or integrated as business as usual; 66 are in progress with five paused and nine not yet started.

Mr Lloyd said: “I continue to be one of a few PCCs who publish an Annual Delivery Plan against the Police and Crime Plan priorities. I do this is because I know the public rightly wish to hold me to account on the commitments I make during my term of office.

“But it is also right that we reflect on the past 11 years, during which crime in Hertfordshire has one remained low. When I first took office we had around eight home burglaries a day in the county. It now stands at five a day.

“The best outcome for the public is not crimes solved, but not to have crimes occur in the first place. That’s why in 2020, together with the Chief Constable, we developed ‘Prevention First’, a transformative approach to crime prevention. This is already seeing early results with resources deployed to ‘hot spot’ areas which need attention.”

Mr Lloyd also spoke about how he regards Beacon, the victim care centre set up in 2015 as one of his proudest achievements. The service has transformed the experience for thousands of victims offering practical and emotional support. He highlighted the work of the award-winning Beacon Fraud Hub which offers support to every fraud victim and has helped them recover £3m.

Plans were also outlined to review the impact of front counter closures at most police stations across the county after a recent survey was undertaken to understand how the public would like to access police services.

Mr Lloyd said record officer numbers were being maintained in Hertfordshire with a current strength of 2,425, meaning there are now over 400 extra officers than in 2012.

“During all three of my terms the public have told me loud and clear that they want to see visible and local policing. The local policing model we have in Hertfordshire is fundamental in reducing crime, partnership working and community engagement. It ensures that each of the ten districts has at least one police station with dedicated neighbourhood and emergency response officers.”

Questioned by the panel about the legitimacy of the police following public concerns Mr Lloyd said he would be publishing a new Legitimacy Strategy to maintain public confidence in December.