Knife crime has dropped by a third in Hertfordshire over the past five years, the PCC has been told by the Chief Constable.

Jonathan Ash-Edwards was given the assurance during the new public accountability and performance meetings he has introduced to allow him to scrutinise, in an open and transparent way, the performance of Hertfordshire Constabulary.

Knife crime and the in-coming ban on zombie-style knives were the first item on the agenda for the meeting which was broadcast live on the internet to public.

Evidence presented in the meeting also showed use of stop and search powers; targeting of habitual knife carriers and working with schools have all helped reduced knife and blade related crimes and injuries.

Opening the meeting the commissioner asked the Chief Constable Mr Hall: "It is important to say that that Hertfordshire has a very low rate of violent crime in England, but knife crime is something that causes concern in some communities. What is the Constabulary's approach to tackling knife crime, the current trends in terms of offences and outcome rates? 

Mr Hall responded: "I recognise that there's real concern around this and we hear a lot about it through the media on a regular basis, the length of breadth of the country.

"What we actually see in Hertfordshire is over the last five years or so, there's been a steady decline. In terms of what we're recording over about the last five years, there has been roughly a 35 per cent reduction in number of crimes where knives and sharp implements are referenced.

"We've also done some work with the NHS around admissions into hospitals that seem to be connected with knife or sharply pointed instruments which have caused injury requiring a hospital admission.

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"That data in the last 12 months shows a 25% reduction in hospital admissions in Hertfordshire."

He added that they would continue to "bear down" on those carrying knives as he recognised that levels need to come down further.

Mr Hall highlighted a number of tactics the Constabulary employ including their Serious Violence Strategy and working with schools and colleges to educate young people about the dangers of knife crime.

He also highlighted the current knife amnesty which has seen 60 weapons handed in.

"We are being really rigorous around our Hot Spot patrols and identifying the public areas and individuals where the intelligence is telling us we need a very rigorous preventative regime in place around knife crime," he said.

"Stop and search is an important tool. I recognise that it needs to be used carefully and appropriately but very much I do take the approach that I encourage officers to use it where it is necessary and appropriate.

"We will continue to look to take knives and weapons off the street as we recognise the damage that they can cause."

Following the meeting Jonathan Ash-Edwards, Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire, said: "I wanted to discuss this matter with the Chief Constable as I recognise that knife crime is a problem nationally and Hertfordshire residents are concerned about it.

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"It was reassuring to hear that is has been reducing across the county in the past five years, thanks to the immense amount of work that the police are putting into tackling it.

"A great deal of preventative work is being carried out by the Constabulary and partners, and we should recognise this is not just a matter for policing, but a range of services and agencies.

"The new ban on zombie knife and machetes is due to come in this week and it is good to hear that officers are fully prepared to ensure that it is enforced to take these weapons off our streets."