Hertfordshire Police Authority exists to represent your views and to make sure that the Constabulary is accountable for providing the most efficient and effective police service to meet your needs.

The Authority has 17 members – nine county councillors and eight local people appointed by a selection panel. Together they share a wide range of responsibilities, including setting the annual budget, agreeing policing priorities and monitoring the police performance.

The Authority has recently reviewed the way they work and agreed to revise their committee structure. These changes are currently being updated in the website. If you cannot find anything in the site during this time please do not hesitate to ring us and we will answer your query.

One of our key roles is consulting the people who live and work in the county to find out what they expect from their police services. The feedback we receive helps us to set the priorities and objectives for the police and informs the decisions we make about resources. We already consult about 5,000 people each year but aim to find new ways to make it easier for people to let us know their views, comments and concerns.

This web site is just one of the ways we are trying to improve our communications with the people we represent. Please help us by filling in the comments box in our feedback section.

Hertfordshire Police Authority does not control operational policing. That is the responsibility of the Chief Constable. If you have any operational queries please contact Hertfordshire Constabulary on 0845 3300 222 or visit www.herts.police.uk.

www.hertswatch.com

Hertfordshire Police Authority Members and staff are proud to announce the admirable achievement of member Sherma Batson, who received an MBE from Her Majesty the Queen on 11 November which was awarded in her Birthday Honours List in June this year.

In 2005, Sherma was elected as a member of Hertfordshire Police Authority and is now the Police Authority Lead (PAL) for Stevenage. Sherma is currently Chair of the Community Engagement Committee and in addition sits on the Human Resources Committee.

Aside from dedicating some of her time to the Authority, she is Chair of the Community Safety Partnership Forum and the Broadwater Local Area Committee, Chair of Stevenage Furniture Recycling Scheme and Vice-Chair of Stevenage World Forum for Ethnic Communities. She currently sits on the management board of Stevenage Education Support Centre.

She is also a member of the Caribbean Women’s Equality and Diversity Forum, based in the UK, and the National Association for the Empowerment of African People in Trinidad and Tobago, as well as a member of the Deputy Prime Minister’s Councillors’ Taskforce.