Hertfordshire will get money for an extra 91 police officers.

The Home Office has confirmed that Hertfordshire Constabulary is to receive the cash as part of the first wave of Government plans to recruit 20,000 officers to forces in England and Wales over the next three years.

With the new additions, an increase of the current 2,009 officers will rise to a total of 2,100 officers at Hertfordshire Constabulary, which will be the highest number of officers since 2011.

The Home Office today confirmed each county’s share of the 6,000 officers due to be recruited in the first wave of the programme.

Hertfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner David Lloyd said: “I am delighted that the Government has provided further support to the strategy I have been implementing for the last seven years.

Although we in Hertfordshire have not seen the cuts in numbers that other forces have, I welcome the news of these extra officers.

“Since taking office, I have used past savings to maintain a high number of police officers, focusing on a more effective neighbourhood policing model."

He added: “The public consistently tell me they want more officers on the street, and I raised the council tax precept by £2-a-month earlier this year to pay for them.”

To support the national 6,000 new officers, the Government is providing £750 million, with hopes for the additional officers to be on the streets by March 2021.

Government funding for recruitment will cover all associated costs, including training and kit.

Home Secretary Priti Patel chaired the Tuesday (October 8) meeting of the National Policing Board, to set out her vision for policing. She said: “The public are clear they want to see more police officers on their streets, whether they live in the city or in the countryside.

“This is the people’s priority and it is exactly what the Government is delivering.

“This means that people across the East of England will see up to 463 new officers keeping a watchful eye on their communities and helping to cut crime.”

The news follows the Home Office extending a pilot to make it simpler for forces to use Section 60 serious violence stop and search powers and announcing a £20 million package of actions cracking down on county lines drug gangs.

The Home Office has also announced £10 million of funding to increase the number of officers carrying a Taser to keep themselves and the public safe.