Police crack down on rural crime and reckless driving

Hertfordshire is about 70 percent rural, but research shows that many crimes in rural areas often go unreported.

A recent raid in East Herts also involved the Hertfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner.

Jonathan Ash-Edwards accompanied Sergeant David Miller and his team on their evening operation at Buntingford Police Station.

Jonathan Ash-Edwards, Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire, at the scene of the traffic stop (Image: Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire)

A traffic diversion was put in place along the A120 at Standon and vehicles were towed to Standon Business Park.

Among those stopped was the driver of a delivery van who failed a roadside drug test for cannabis and was subsequently arrested and taken into custody.

When a tractor was inspected, it was discovered that the agricultural implement attached to the rear had no lights. A complaint was filed against the driver.

Violations were reported or warned about in two vehicles, including a defective tire and inadequate load securing.

An officer stops vehicles in Standon (Image: Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire)

The Herts PCC then accompanied Sergeant Miller on a patrol in rural areas of East Herts, with a particular focus on intercepting illegal waste carriers associated with illegal waste disposal.

He also met with farmer Charlie Wooton in his field during the harvest to discuss the problems facing rural populations.

Later, an agricultural vehicle was stopped in Thundridge on suspicion of speeding and missing a number plate.

Mr Ash-Edwards said: “It is really important to me to ensure that rural communities feel safe, so I wanted to take the opportunity to go out and see an example of how Hertfordshire Constabulary is tackling crime in rural communities.

“The visit was very informative and enabled me to speak to officers on the front line to learn about their experiences and also to speak to members of the public to find out what their main concerns are.

“People have told me they want greater visibility of officers across the county, especially in our rural communities.

“Operations like this show that they are out there patrolling, doing a great job, making arrests and keeping people safe, even if they are not seen by local residents every time.”

Mr Ash-Edwards will take part in other rural policing operations in the future, including Op Galileo, which involves hare racehorses, and a planned barn reunion.