Tring no longer has its own dedicated sergeant after a policing shake-up – and the town’s mayor says this is a backwards step for the area.
Mayor Nick Hollinghurst spoke out after hearing that Berkhamsted and Tring are now controlled by just one sergeant, Peter Huffer.
Before the changes at the start of April, the two towns had separate sergeants.
Mr Hollinghurst said: “I believe, but I have not had anything confirmed, that they are proposing that the Tring neighbourhood policing team will be managed from Berkhamsted.
“If that’s true, it’s back to square one. That used to be the case.
“Then we had our own neighbourhood sergeant in Tring and things improved very greatly after that, so we do not want to lose the benefits of all the recent improvements.
“My impression is that over the last two years the police in the Tring area have been much more active and responsive to public priorities.”
He said there was also a danger that the change would make Herts Police less adept at solving crime through cooperation with neighbouring forces and people in Tring.
Dacorum is now divided into four ‘safer neighbourhood teams’, controlled by sergeants – Berkhamsted and Tring, Hemel Hempstead North Rural, West and Central, Hemel Hempstead East, and Kings Langley and Hemel Hempstead South East. Previously it was split into 10.
Police say this will give them more clout to tackle crime and cut their bureaucracy. It will also mean Dacorum gets six new police constables, bringing the total number to 23, and one new PCSO, bringing that total to more than 25.
Head of Dacorum policing Chief Insp Glen Channer said: “I want to reassure the mayor of Tring that he will see no reduction in services and no reduction in resources. They will just be more effectively managed.”