It’s a familiar call - the idea that we should have more ‘bobbies on the beat’ to drive down crime.
In truth, the way you lean politically probably has more to do with whether you noticed the last time you saw a police officer than any insight you have into patterns of offending or criminology.
Almost no journalists or politicians are really qualified to talk about where policing is most effective.
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It is also true that trained officers need to be in the places they are needed most and should not be pulled away for fashionable causes.
But with two ugly incidents in the town centre in the past week, we think it is worth having more visible policing in the town centre.
One, it should send a message to those behind violent crimes that they are more likely to be caught.
Secondly, it should reassure the rest of us that we are safe to go about our business in peace.
Watford shops, restaurants, cafes and pubs are going to need all the help they can get in the coming months. They do not need the town centre becoming a war zone where criminals can play out their pointless, deadly feuds.
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