Watford’s new chief inspector wants to increase police patrols and engage with communities as a way to reduce crime.

Diane Whiteside took on the role in March 2022 after having worked for the West Yorkshire Police for 18 years.

Ms Whiteside, who is Watford’s first female chief inspector, told the Observer that police presence is going to increase, particularly as crime tends to rise over the summer.

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She said: “What we are looking at now is preventative measures and how to drive down antisocial behaviour. 

“The best way to police is to prevent people becoming victims of crime in the first place.

“We are looking at where we should be targeting our high visibility patrols.

“Currently, we have an operation where they are going into the local parks.

“It’s very difficult to make sure that we are seen all the time. But they are out there and they are trying to cover as much as they can.”

Extra patrolling is not the only area of change the police is going to focus on, said Ms Whiteside.

Police will also be working with communities, volunteer organisations and the council to better understand issues affecting the local area.

Ms Whiteside said: “We can achieve more with partnership work.

“For example, working with the council to make sure that we are fixing areas to prevent opportunists from committing crime.

“It can be things like cutting overgrown bushes, fixing bad lighting or putting CCTV cameras up.”

Police officers are also going into schools as another way to engage with the community and work closely with minority groups, she said.

Ms Whiteside added: “I believe that Watford is a very multicultural community.

“I want to work closely with them to understand what their priorities are and how we can help them.”

Ms Whiteside, 40, who took over the role from Ian Grout said he “did a fantastic job before and we hope to build on everything that he achieved and drive that forward”.

She added: “I’m really excited about being here.

“I hope we can continue to work with partners to try and drive down crime and make people feel safe.”

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