If you complain about Hertfordshire Constabulary and ask for a review, the reviewing body found the force's original outcome was not reasonable and proportionate in 20.6% of 63 completed reviews in 2024/25, the 26th highest of 43 forces and 3.9 points below the national figure of 24.5%. Hertfordshire Constabulary recorded 21,127 stop and searches between 2023-07 to 2026-07, and 74.1% ended in no further action.
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Of 622 recorded Taser uses by Hertfordshire Constabulary, 3.7% were actually discharged. The rest were drawing, aiming or red-dotting.
Source: Home Office use of force statistics, 2024/25. Figures as published; see the tables on this page for the full denominators.
Complaints about Hertfordshire Constabulary
| Complaint cases logged | 1,474 |
|---|---|
| Employees | 4,461 |
| Cases per 1,000 employees | 330.4 (33rd of 44) |
| Review applications to the local policing body | 65 |
| Review applications to the IOPC | 35 |
Stop and search by Hertfordshire Constabulary
| Searches recorded | 21,127 |
|---|---|
| Period | 2023-07 to 2026-07 |
| Months of data | 37 of 36 |
| Ended in no further action | 74.1% |
What Hertfordshire Constabulary searched people for
| Stated object of search | Searches |
|---|---|
| Controlled drugs | 11,700 |
| Article for use in theft | 4,493 |
| Offensive weapons | 3,397 |
| Stolen goods | 951 |
| Articles for use in criminal damage | 281 |
Who Hertfordshire Constabulary searched
| Officer-defined ethnicity | Searches | Share |
|---|---|---|
| White | 13,546 | 70.0% |
| Black | 3,312 | 17.1% |
| Asian | 2,019 | 10.4% |
| Other | 465 | 2.4% |
Calculated over the 19,342 searches where an officer recorded an ethnicity, which is 91.6% of all searches by this force.
Compared with who lives in the Hertfordshire Constabulary area
| Ethnic group | Share of searches | Share of residents | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 17.1% | 3.7% | 4.6x |
| Asian | 10.4% | 8.6% | 1.2x |
| Other | 2.4% | 2.1% | 1.1x |
| White | 70.1% | 81.8% | 0.9x |
Use of force by Hertfordshire Constabulary
| Year | Use of force reports | Relative volume |
|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | 10,639 | |
| 2021/22 | 11,934 | |
| 2022/23 | 12,048 | |
| 2023/24 | 12,251 | |
| 2024/25 | 13,580 |
Recorded use of force by Hertfordshire Constabulary has risen 27.6% since 2020/21. Nationally the total rose 39.4% over the same period, so this force is below the national trend.
Taser use
| Total recorded Taser uses | 622 |
|---|---|
| Of which discharged | 23 |
| Share actually discharged | 3.7% |
Most recorded Taser use is drawing, aiming or red-dotting rather than firing. The share actually discharged is the figure worth knowing.
Complaining to Hertfordshire Constabulary
Complaints go to the force first. Use its own official channel so the complaint is recorded properly and you get written confirmation.
- Hertfordshire Constabulary official website
- Telephone: 101
What you can do about it
Complaining to a force and bringing a claim against it are different processes with different outcomes. Reviews overturn the force's own finding in roughly a quarter of cases nationally, which makes the review stage worth understanding before you use it.
Hertfordshire Constabulary in the news
The five most recent reports mentioning this force, collected automatically. Headlines and links belong to the publishers named. We do not edit, summarise or endorse them, and inclusion here does not imply any finding against anyone.
- Police processing of DBS checks has "improved significantly" says Hertfordshire's Chief Constable
- Police processing of DBS checks has “improved significantly”, says top cop
- Police appeal for witnesses after cyclist suffers life-changing injuries in Rickmansworth collision
- Police tour the county with Electric Umbrella during Hate Crime Awareness Week
- Man arrested and cannabis seized during police operation in Potters Bar | News - Hits Radio (Bucks, Beds & Herts)
- Independent Office for Police Conduct, police complaints statistics for England and Wales, 2024/25.
- data.police.uk stop and search API, 2023-07 to 2026-07. Accessed 2026-09-12.
- Home Office police use of force statistics, England and Wales, 2024/25.
Data last refreshed , covering 2023-07 to 2026-07. Every figure on this page is recomputed from the source datasets, not edited by hand. Found something wrong? Tell us.