People can meet police chiefs to discuss how thousands of new homes in the county will impact policing.

Hertfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner David Lloyd and Herts Constabulary Chief Inspector Lynda Coates will join council leaders at the Policing and Crime Review meeting at the Civic Centre in St Peter’s Street, St Albans tomorrow (Wednesday) from 6pm to 6.45pm.

People and businesses of St Albans, Harpenden, Wheathampstead, London Colney and Redbourn are welcome to attend the meeting and discuss crime rates in 2018/19 and policing in the future.

A police report found that during that period, there were an average of 26 crimes a day recorded in St Albans District, with an average of 1.6 burglaries per day.

Despite the average of burglaries per day, residential burglaries in general have remained low with just 599 burglaries from April 2018 to March 2019.

Figures show that domestic abuse-related offences, including assaults and damage, made up 11 per cent of all recorded crime in St Albans district, and serious sexual offences made up 1 per cent of crime.

These statistics are released as police reveal will be holding a public meeting to discuss current crime rates and policing, and to talk about the upcoming criminal challenges of an increased population.

With an estimated 1,600 extra homes over the next six years becoming 62,000, and a population increase from 147,400 in 2018 to 152,000 by 2021, the meeting will explore how this will impact policing.

Mr Lloyd said: “I wanted a review of each of the ten districts in Hertfordshire to understand that matters most to the public and where the policing pressures are locally.

“This enables the police and partners to target resources to best prevent people becoming victims of crime.

St Albans City and District is one of the safest places to live in the county, which itself has a very low crime rate, but there is always more we can do.”

The report will help identify priorities, including measures in addition to dedicated teams patrolling burglary hot spots and a pilot for doorbell cameras that photograph callers.

The Policing and Crime Review meeting will be held in St Albans this Wednesday January 8 at the at the Civic Centre, in St Peter’s Street at 6pm until 6.45pm

No tickets are required.