New Chief Inspector for East Herts

Working proactively with the community to help keep people safe is a key priority for new East Herts Chief Inspector Matt Barton.

Matt started in the role earlier this week, taking over from his predecessor CI David Cooke.

Having joined the constabulary 11 years ago, Matt has held a variety of roles including working within response and neighbourhood policing teams and performing the role of Force Incident Manager in the Force Communications Room.

Most recently, he held the post of Senior Staff Officer to the Chief Constable where he was proud to have supported the induction of new Chief Constable Andy Prophet.

In addition to these core roles, Matt is one of the constabulary’s tactical firearms commanders, and a nationally accredited hostage and crisis negotiator, roles which have seen him protect the public and provide support to vulnerable members of the community.

He said: “As an East Herts resident, I am passionate about the area. I grew up in Bishop’s Stortford and I have seen first-hand how the town has evolved over the years.

“This evolution has also been seen across many towns in East Herts, and it is important policing evolves in tandem. I am looking forward to working with the community, and supporting the excellent team of officers and staff who are dedicated to policing East Herts.

“As the Chief Inspector responsible for the district, I will be focused on supporting my teams to catch criminals and solve crime. We will work proactively with the community, being responsive to feedback, and ensure we are visible and present to keep all communities within East Herts safe.

“If you have any questions or concerns about policing in your local area, I encourage you to reach out to my team and I directly so we can work with you to address them.

“I am excited to be fulfilling this important role; we are fortunate to have such an excellent group of officers and staff in East Herts, and I look forward to both working with them, and supporting the excellent work they do 24/7 to keep the community safe.”