Police officers have been giving evidence in courts via live video feeds in a bid to save their time.

Live links have been set up in police stations around the county from where officers can give evidence rather than having to travel to court.

Police say a court appearance takes three hours and they said this has freed them up for other duties.

From January to March this year, a total of 267 police officers were called to attend court via LiveLink - saving the equivalent to 792 working hours or 20 working weeks.

It is expected that the number of officers using the video link technology to give evidence will continue to grow.

The new system was launched at the start of the year after an agreement was made between Hertfordshire Constabulary, the Crown Prosecution Service and Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) to call officers to appear via video link rather than in person.

Where it is not possible for the equipment to be used, for example if it is already booked out, officers who are based close to the court that they are attending now receive a telephone call 10 minutes before they are needed and only then go to the court.

Detective Superintendent Mike Marren, from criminal justice, said: “LiveLink makes such good sense and it is now freeing up many hours of police time that was previously wasted waiting at court to give evidence.

“Month by month we are seeing more and more police officers using this technology to avoid long waits at court and we are looking forward to this increasing even more as it becomes usual practice.”

The technology is also successfully used by vulnerable witnesses who are anxious about appearing in court.

Instead they attended a police station to give evidence via video link.

Officers are also using LiveLink to make warrant applications to the courts and have been successfully making applications to crown courts across the Eastern region under the Proceeds of Crime Act for some time.

This has become the default method, saving enormous journeys to courts as far afield as Norwich.

Deputy chief executive of the office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, Nina Villa, said: “LiveLink is a great success – this latest expansion will save thousands of hours of officer time every year, allowing them to focus properly on the job of fighting crime rather than sitting around in court waiting areas.

"It’s also bringing great benefit to vulnerable victims and witnesses allowing them to avoid the trauma of a court visit.”