Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire Jonathan Ash-Edwards is to ask the Chief Constable about a wide range of policing issues during their live public webinar next week.

The Accountability and Performance Meeting (APM) will be held online and is open to any members of the public who want to watch the proceedings. It is being held at 9.30am on Tuesday 8^th July and registration is now open at https://bit.ly/JulyAPM2025.

Among the items due to be discussed are a new project to deliver Safer town centres for Hertfordshire and to help retailers tackle shop crime.

Mr Ash-Edwards will also ask Andy Prophet on an update on the Constabulary delivering the uplift in neighbourhood policing numbers and how they are implementing the guarantee of a name contactable officer for every community.

The latest performance on crime outcomes and the measures being implemented to increase the number of crimes being solved will also be discussed.

A regular standing item on the agenda remains firearms licensing and what progress is being made to reduce the backlog of applications.

Additionally the PCC wants to know what steps the Constabulary is taking to respond to public disorder. This includes how they assess their capacity to respond to widespread disorder and how they understand and respond to the risks associated with online content.

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

“The agenda for this Accountability & Performance meeting covers a wide range of topics which are of interest and concern to members of the public.

“Residents regularly tell me that they want to see more visible and responsive police officers. A strong neighbourhood policing team is crucial to delivering this. Plans are in place to provide more officers, alongside a new project to improve safety in our town centres and parks.

“My role is to be the public’s voice in policing and this involves speaking up for them to ensure they get the police service they deserve. I hope that as many people as possible can find the time to join the meeting.”

Police and Crime Commissioners have a statutory duty under the Police Reform & Social Responsibility Act to hold the Chief Constable to account for the delivery of policing in their area.

The APM meetings were introduced by Mr Ash-Edwards shortly after he took office last year. They allow him to scrutinise the performance of Hertfordshire Constabulary in an open and transparent way.