As part of a new monthly series the Watford Observer is charting every crime in the town on an interactive map for readers to stay on top of what is happening and where.

This month, our map reveals the location of every crime reported to Hertfordshire Police in December 2020 (the latest available full month of data).

The map shows location, type of offence, and outcome or current status of the police investigation.

Readers can use the online tool to see what happened near their homes, schools and places of work and build an understanding of the town’s crime hotspots.

The highest concentration of crimes in the run up to Christmas can be found around the town centre, most of which are classed as violence and sex offences or theft from a person.

Across the town, the most recorded offence type – as noted by the green pins – was violence and sex offences (239 reported crimes), with further clusters of offences in the North Watford and Leavesden areas.

The maps also appears to show vehicle crime hotspots in Oxhey, North Watford and the roads surrounding Watford Junction.