Commissioner to ask Chief about burglary and violence against women and girls during first public meeting

Burglary and violence against women and girls will be discussed when Hertfordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Jonathan Ash-Edwards holds his first webcast public meeting this week.

The PCC is introducing a monthly accountability and performance meeting to hold the Chief Constable to account for the performance of Hertfordshire police.

The public will be able to watch proceedings live virtually at 10.30am on Thursday July 18^th by following the link https://bit.ly/HertsAPM1.

During the meetings Mr Ash-Edwards will scrutinise the delivery of policing in Hertfordshire, asking questions about performance and on topics of high public interest.

On the agenda for this first meeting is burglary, including the Constabulary’s attendance rate and what they are doing to improve criminal justice outcomes. The PCC will ask about what is being done to tackle violence against women and girls including crimes such as domestic abuse, sexual offending and stalking.

Longer waiting time for firearms licences will also be discussed, alongside how 999 and 101 calls are being handled in the force control room during peak times and the development of digital contact methods.

The progress of the launch of Operation Hotspot, which is using £1m of Home Office funding to put more officers on patrol across the county, will also be examined.

Jonathan Ash-Edwards, Police & Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire, said:

“The new Accountability & Performance Meetings will allow me to hold the Chief Constable to account on behalf of the public for the delivery of policing in Hertfordshire.

“The items I have chosen for the first agenda reflect some of the key issues that residents have raised with me in the last couple of months. I hope the public will it useful to be able to view the meetings and hear the answers from the Chief Constable to the questions that I will be asking”.

The Accountability and Performance Meetings will take place at Police Headquarters in Welwyn Garden City. A recording will also be available to view on the PCC’s website along with more details at hertscommissioner.org/apm.