POLICE numbers in Hertfordshire remain at record levels, says a report from the Home Office. There are 2,198 officers in the county and 248 Police Community Support Officers – a 50 per cent increase since September 2006. Ian Laidlaw-Dickson, chairman of t

POLICE numbers in Hertfordshire remain at record levels, says a report from the Home Office.

There are 2,198 officers in the county and 248 Police Community Support Officers - a 50 per cent increase since September 2006.

Ian Laidlaw-Dickson, chairman of the Herts Police Authority, said it had been recognised that there was a need to invest to maintain effective levels of officers.

"We constantly monitor and challenge the constabulary to ensure that they are used efficiently and effectively," he said.

He said he believed that the low levels of crime in Herts and the recent drop in recorded crime so that policing in the county is "constantly improving".

The Home Office report - Police Force Staffing - puts Herts above the national increase in police officer numbers.