Drop in crime follows station opening

Early results indicate that crime in Rickmansworth and the surrounding area fell between January and March. The reduction contributed to an overall drop in crime in Three Rivers of over 7% for the year. The announcement was made today (Tuesday 10 May) at the formal opening of Rickmansworth Police Station, which moved to the centre of town, within the District Council's Northway offices, at the beginning of February.

Tuesday's event was held to mark the early success of the station move and was attended by the Lord Lieutenant, Lady Verulam and the High Sheriff, Lord Charles Cecil, together with the Chairman of Three Rivers District Council, Ron Spellen.

Assistant Chief Constable, Alison Roome-Gifford, who attended the official opening, said:

"This has been an innovative and positive move, not only from a financial perspective. We are delighted and proud to be sharing this facility with Three Rivers District Council. Not only has it made Police more accessible to the people of Rickmansworth by being more central, but it has helped us to build on our strong relationship with the Council."

Rickmansworth Police station now has longer public opening hours and there has been no reduction in the level of service, including emergency responses. The project has been so successful that Police in Berkhamsted will be moving into Dacorum Council's civic offices.

Three Rivers' Chief Executive, Steven Halls, added:

"Three Rivers has the lowest crime rate in Hertfordshire. This is due to a strong partnership working between the Police, the Council, voluntary groups and the community. By sharing a building we are not only saving money and improving the service, but also deepening our partnership with the Police.

"Joint working will go even further in the autumn when our customer service team will be answering public enquiries on behalf of the Constabulary in the Rickmansworth area while the Police will provide the Council's out-of-hours enquiry service for the district. This will save more money while keeping an excellent level of service."

Steven added:

"We have been saving money through increasing efficiency for over five years now. Although this has become much tougher following the Government cuts, we are determined to protect frontline services. This project is a perfect example."

Three Rivers District Council was the first Council in the UK to receive Charter Mark for excellent customer service across all of its services.

Rickmansworth Police Station
Three Rivers House
Northway
Rickmansworth

Mo: 9:30am-5:30pm
Tu: 9:30am-5:30pm
We: 9:30am-5:30pm
Th: 9:30am-5:30pm
Fr: 9:30am-5:30pm
Sa: Closed
Su: Closed

www.herts.police.uk/