PCC reassures residents police already respond to every house burglary in Hitchin

Liz Truss's headline-grabbing 'back to basics' crime strategy, which would involve ranking forces in league tables, a commitment to recruit 20,000 more police officers and cut murders and violent crime by 20 per cent, and an in-person visit by an officer for every victim of domestic burglary, have been slammed as meaningless by many.

Especially when residents have been reassured that every home burglary in Hertfordshire is already attended to by police.

David Lloyd, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire, said the practice has been in place in the county for years, as police chiefs nationwide this week pledged to follow suit.

With an average of seven residential burglaries a day, the number of thefts from home in Hertfordshire are almost half what they were before pandemic Covid levels.

On Wednesday chief constables across England and Wales committed forces to attending all home burglaries in a new set of standards they hope will result in more of the crimes being solved and more offenders prosecuted.

The National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) said chief constables will work to ensure the approach is implemented "as soon as practically possible".

Following the announcement Mr Lloyd said: "A recent independent public opinion survey commissioned by my office showed that 80 per cent of people felt safe in Hertfordshire. But burglary, alongside cybercrime, were residents' top concerns.

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"On a typical day there are seven residential burglaries, which is recognised as being very low for a county of this size. You are very unlikely to be a victim of this crime.

"We have continued to see considerable and sustained reductions in residential burglaries over the past three years with the number reduced by almost half.

"It does however remain a high priority for the public, my office and the constabulary. For many years now the Hertfordshire Police has maintained a policy of attending every residential burglary.

"We are not complacent though as every home burglary has a devastating effect on the victim. I am encouraging the constabulary to go further and use spatial crime analysis and predictive mapping techniques to understand where there is a heightened risk of this type of crime."

Mr Lloyd added: "We are also working with residents to make their properties safer. My office secured over £700,000 in Home Office funding to increase security at hundreds of properties as part of the Safe Streets project."

Assistance Chief Constable Genna Telfer said:  Hertfordshire Constabulary has a practice which requires attendance at the scene of a dwelling burglary and has done for some time. This is line with the national position