New Safer Neighbourhood Inspector joins Watford policing team

A police officer who began his career as a constable based in Watford has returned more than 20 years later to head up the town’s Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT).

Inspector Dan Jones has racked up more than two decades of policing experience since joining the constabulary in 2002, and he’s very glad to be back at the station on Shady Lane.

“I was born and bred in Watford and my extended family still live in the town. I still very much see it as my ‘hometown’ and I’m hugely passionate about policing here,” said Dan, who initially spent seven years on Watford’s intervention team before moving over to Oxhey’s Safer Neighbourhood Team in Three Rivers.

“My philosophy is very straight forward; take policing back to basics. Visibility and community engagement are at the top of my agenda. I want residents to see police officers, to speak to them and to work with us to develop intelligence about criminality in the town.

“We will use our powers proportionately and work with our colleagues in the Safer Watford partnership to tackle anti-social behaviour, first focusing on the town centre.”

Dan – who is married with three children – epitomises grass roots policing, having twice scooped Hertfordshire’s SNT Officer of the Year award as well as coming third nationally.

He has many strings to his professional bow including extensive experience as a public order officer. Dan was part of the mutual aid team that supported the police response to the London riots in 2011 and was one of the thousands of officers who managed the crowds during the London 2012 Olympics.

In addition, he was a specialist football officer who accompanied Watford FC around the country for many years including many visits to Wembley.

Following his time on the SNT in Oxhey, Dan was promoted and returned to Watford as an Intervention Sergeant before moving to the Force Communications Room in 2018. There, he was promoted to Force Duty Officer which involved managing the response to major incidents including firearms.

Dan said: “Though I’m only in the early stages of my role here, I have already seen evidence of the excellent partnership work taking place and my aim is to strengthen those relationships even further.

“The policing environment is extremely challenging right now, and the demand is greater than ever, but I am dedicated to ensuring Watford gets the best neighbourhood policing service it can.”

One of the ways in which the public can help Dan and his team succeed is by using the constabulary’s online community voice platform, echo, to give feedback on the local issues which matter most to them. This information will be used to shape local policing priorities, enabling the teams to adapt their response according to the needs of the community.

Residents are encouraged to visit the Watford echo page (opens in a new window) and submit their thoughts completely anonymously.

To receive police messages about a range of topics including burglaries, scams and missing people in your local area, sign up to OWL (opens in a new window) or download the ‘OWL crime alerts’ app from your app store.

Inspector Dan Jones Pictured in front of Watford police station