Hertfordshire’s first and only police and crime commissioner will not stand at next election
Hertfordshire’s Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner David Lloyd will not stand for re-election in May.
He has held office since the role was created in 2012 and returned in 2016 and again in 2021.
Before that, he was chairman of Hertfordshire Police Authority and deputy leader of Hertfordshire County Council and has been continuously involved in police governance since 2005 – the longest in the country.
Mr Lloyd said: “I have served three terms as police and crime commissioner for the county and have thoroughly enjoyed the role and appreciated the wonderful support and friendship of my team.
“It has been the greatest privilege of my life to represent the amazing people of Hertfordshire. However, one of the arts of leadership is to know when to hand the reins on to someone else. That time has come.
“I have been the PCC for over a decade and in that time I have made many positive changes to policing and community safety in the county.
“Hertfordshire now has the largest number of officers in its history; hundreds more than when I first took office. Services for victims have also been transformed so that those who are affected by crime have one of the most comprehensive help and advice centres in the country.
“I have worked with the constabulary to implement a pioneering Prevention First strategy to reduce all crime types, as well as an evidence-based policing approach to target areas of highest harm and demand.
“There are still many aims of the current Police and Crime plan which I will continue to work on and I remain fully committed to the role for the remainder of my tenure.
“Along with the Chief Constable [Charlie Hall], we have commissioned a comprehensive force review looking at the efficiency and effectiveness of the service. This is currently underway and it will ensure that when I leave the constabulary, it will be in the best shape possible for whoever succeeds me.”
Elected police and crime commissioners were created to replace police authorities in 2012. They are responsible for overall policing strategy, producing a Police and Crime Plan, setting the force’s annual budget, and holding chief constables to account.
Mr Lloyd wants Band D households in Hertfordshire to pay £238 a year for policing from April – representing a 45% hike in law and order bills for residents over the past five years.
Labour has already announced that its Hertfordshire contender will be Tom Plater, a Labour district councillor for Letchworth Wilbury on North Herts Council.
