Newsletter from Police & Crime Commissioner Jonathan Ash-Edwards

Newsletter from Police & Crime Commissioner Jonathan Ash-Edwards

Dear Resident,

Over the summer, I consulted you on the Government's plans for abolishing county police forces like Hertfordshire Constabulary and merging them into regional forces.  

Over 3,600 people responded to my consultation and you overwhelmingly told me you were opposed to the plans, with just 15% supporting them. Respondents said they would feel less safe and were rightly concerned about local priorities being lost to the needs of higher crime areas outside Hertfordshire.  

I have made these representations strongly to the Home Secretary and her review of police force structures.  

I am told that the review's report has now been handed to the Home Secretary. I expect it to continue to argue for a regional police force for the East of England.  

We will have to see what the Government announces, but I will continue to make the case for locally responsive, accountable policing for Hertfordshire. 

Over the last two years, Hertfordshire Constabulary has made great progress delivering on your priorities. Visible hotspot patrols. More crime being solved. Stop and search up. Calls being answered quicker. It's why Hertfordshire is independently rated 1st for public confidence in policing.  

An expensive, disruptive regional reorganisation is that last thing needed right now. 

As ever, please get in touch at commissioner@herts-pcc.gov.uk if there is anything you'd like to raise about policing, crime or community safety. 

Best wishes, 

Jonathan Ash-Edwards 
Police & Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire 

New Live Facial Recognition vans to help catch wanted criminals 

I want Hertfordshire Police to have the technology they need to catch criminals and keep our communities safe. 

That’s why I’ve funded two new dedicated Live Facial Recognition vans for Hertfordshire, following successful trials of the technology in our county. 

Live Facial Recognition helps officers identify people wanted by police by comparing images captured by a live camera against a pre-authorised watchlist. When there is a potential match, an alert is generated for an officer to review. 

These new vans mean the Constabulary has greater flexibility to deploy the technology across Hertfordshire, helping officers locate wanted offenders, prevent and detect crime, and protect vulnerable people. 

And this is an approach that Hertfordshire residents have backed. Following an LFR deployment in Broxbourne, my public survey, from February 2026, received 3,787 responses, with 82% saying police use of LFR is always or usually acceptable and 91% believing it will help catch more criminals. 

There are strict safeguards around its use. Watchlists are limited to people wanted by police; potential matches are reviewed by trained officers and images of people who do not generate a match are deleted immediately. 

In the Hertfordshire trials, there has not been a single false activation or identification, giving significant confidence in how the technology is being appropriately used locally. 

I’m determined to keep investing in the technology our police need to catch offenders, protect vulnerable people, and keep Hertfordshire safe. 

Read more here 

Respect Orders launched in Hertfordshire to tackle persistent anti-social behaviour 

Tackling anti-social behaviour and making our town centres safer is a priority for me. A small number of individuals can cause misery for others and they must be held to account. 

I recently attended a visit to Hertfordshire by the Policing Minister, Sarah Jones, to discuss the introduction of Respect Orders and how they will be used in our county to crack down on persistent anti-social behaviour. 

Respect Orders can place restrictions on offenders, such as banning them from particular areas or preventing certain behaviour. They can also require individuals to address the underlying causes of their behaviour, including substance misuse or behavioural issues.  

If someone is causing chaos in a town centre, then the police having the power to ask the Courts to ban them from the town centre seems like common sense to me. 

Hertfordshire Constabulary is taking a proactive approach and has already identified up to 30 individuals who may be suitable for a Respect Order. 

Whether the policy works will depend on what happens if an order is breached. The Courts will need to impose proper consequences if these orders are going to act as an effective deterrent and make a real difference for residents and businesses.  

Read more here 

Challenging the impact of early release of prisoners 

The next stage of the Government's early release of prisoners kicked in this month with around a dozen offenders being released back into Hertfordshire earlier than planned. Further releases will happen every month from now on. These early releases happen simply based on the number of days the offender has served instead of any assessment of what risk they pose to victims or the community, which is completely wrong. Nationally the scenes of offenders celebrating their early release have caused great distress to victims and reoffending has inevitably already begun, putting further pressure on the police. 

Through the Criminal Justice Board, I am working closely with the police and probation who are working hard to manage the impacts of this policy. I've allocated some further funding to Hertfordshire Constabulary to help them closely monitor risky offenders and I've written to Government challenging the fact neither agency has received additional resources to help them manage. 

Supporting the roll out of bleed control kits in Hertfordshire 

Defibrillators are a common sight in our communities. Vital lifesaving equipment that hopefully most people will never need, but crucial for those who sadly do need it.

Increasingly, bleed control kits are being rolled out to these locations to help manage a serious bleed before help arrives. People often think about knife crime, but they are more likely to be used for a serious glass cut, or a machinery accident.  

I've been working with a brilliant local charity Hearts for Herts to fund the introduction of more of these kits across Hertfordshire and I was pleased to meet the charity recently to discuss the roll out and the life saving impact the kits are already having. 

In September, the charity also reached an impressive milestone, with 130 public access defibrillators now available 24/7 across rural and urban areas of Hertfordshire. 

You can find out more about Hearts for Herts here 

Do you know a graduate interested in working in police governance and community safety? 

Times are tough right now for graduates trying to get a foot on the jobs ladder. Barely a week goes by without stories in the press about how many are struggling to find jobs or how AI is reducing the number of entry level opportunities.  

But I know that graduates have a huge amount to offer in the workplace. New ideas, different perspectives and the natural enthusiasm and excitement of starting out in your career.  

That's why I'm advertising for a Graduate Trainee to work in the team of staff that support my work as your Police & Crime Commissioner.  

If you know a recent graduate who would be interested in helping me to scrutinise the police, analyse crime data, commission services for victims, deliver community safety projects and represent and communicate with the 1.2 million people who call Hertfordshire home, then please let them know about the opportunity. 

Over the last two years, I've reduced the size of my office significantly, but there is still important work to be done and I hope this provides a great opportunity for a Hertfordshire graduate. 

Applications can be submitted here and the closing date is 11th November.