Police helicopter to patrol town for four weeks

Hertfordshire Police A police helicopter on the ground. The photo only shows the front of the vehicle and two rotas, not the tail. The lower half is black and the upper half bright yellow, with POLICE in yellow on the lower half. You can see two rotas, and in the distance is a high barbed wire fence.Hertfordshire Police
Watford residents will see the helicopter over the next four weeks in the afternoon and early evening

A police helicopter will patrol a town centre for the next month as part of a £1m project to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour.

Hertfordshire Police said the National Police Air Service (NPAS) will "proactively" circle the skies above Watford to help track suspects and find missing people.

The helicopter will work with officers on the ground as part of Operation Hotspot, which launched in May with £1m of government funding.

"Please don't be alarmed, the officers on board are simply on patrol, keeping everyone safe," said Ch Insp Andy Wiseman.

"The police helicopter is a great resource which helps us with a whole range of incidents."

The project will focus on the town centre and Cassiobury Park, and residents can expect to see the helicopter "periodically" during the afternoon and early evening.

The funding, which was secured by the Police and Crime Commissioner's office, is "providing extra foot patrols and increased visibility" on top of normal police business.

Hertfordshire Police said it would target specific areas "which have been identified as crime and anti-social behaviour hotspots".

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