The police's share of the council tax bill will rise by £2 a month for the average household – but the extra money will bring in dozens of new officers.

The public said they would agree to the rise if it promised an increase in police numbers and Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Police and Crime Commissioner David Lloyd’s proposal has been backed unanimously by the police and crime panel.

Under the proposal, a £2m a month rise in council tax was suggested. This is separate from county and borough council tax.

The government gave Police and Crime Commissioners across the UK the flexibility to raise the precept by £24 a year on the average (Band D) household.

The public were consulted on Mr Lloyd’s plans back in December.

More than £10.7m will be raised under the new tax proposals for policing in Hertfordshire in 2019/20. It will help fund 75 frontline police officers across the county.

The extra cash will also help protect neighbourhood policing teams and investment in services for victims.

Mr Lloyd outlined challenges of reported fraud, cybercrime, and threats of serious violence, in his open letter in December.

The police and crime commissioner said: “The public will see an increase in the number of officers on the street. These new officers will bring the total of front line officers in Hertfordshire to over 2,000.

“The public have overwhelmingly told me they are prepared to pay more, but only if they get an increase in police numbers. This is what this budget delivers.

“We hear horror stories from other regions in the UK where residents say ‘the police are not interested in investigating my burglary’. I never want to hear anyone in Hertfordshire say this. We are committed to investigating 100 per cent of all burglaries.

“As a result of good financial management we have not seen the cuts in police officer numbers in Hertfordshire which other areas have suffered. But pressure on the police is growing and this increase gives us the opportunity to invest in more new officers to meet that demand.

“This rise in Council Tax is vital to fulfil my Community Safety and Criminal Justice Plan which is committed to putting victims first and supporting them through the criminal justice system.”

In Watford, the mayor Peter Taylor has also secured a number of new officers who will specifically work within Watford town centre.

Watford Labour leader, Cllr Nigel Bell, welcomed Mr Lloyd's visit to the town last week but has called for police officers to be deployed across the town.

Cllr Bell said: "We welcome Mr Lloyd's visit but we would like to see PCSO's across Watford. We feel crime has gone up which is why in our Labour budget, we said we'd put more PCSO patrols across the town and not just in the centre."