CRIME tsar David Lloyd is recruiting a public relations expert on a salary of up to £75,000 per year.

Mr Lloyd, Hertfordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), has advertised for a director of communications and engagement who would receive £66,312 to £75,786, along with a car allowance and final salary pension scheme.

The successful applicant would report to Mr Lloyd, who is himself paid £75,000 per year, and become part of his senior leadership team.

Vojislav Mihailovic, general secretary of Herts Police Federation, said while the appointment was a matter for Mr Lloyd he was confused about why the role was needed.

He commented: “We have got a head of communications within the Herts Constabulary so it is strange that David is seeking to duplicate that role in his own structure.

“If I was a member of the public I would be looking and thinking ‘Why is that happening then?’.”

Mr Mihailovic added: “In comparison to the starting salary of a police officer it [the salary] is an extortionate amount of money.”

Commissioner Lloyd said the post has been independently assessed by employment experts Hay Group and the firm has approved the salary scale in line with Herts senior police staff grades.

Talking to the Herts Advertiser about the job he said: “The whole role is about my role in the community, about how we communicate with the public and how we make sure what they are saying is heard and taken through and how that is then reported back out to them.

“The use of messages are so important; it is a key part of policing and certainly a key part of crime reduction.”

According to the advert, which is on his website, the director of communications and engagement will be responsible for implementing the commissioner’s police and crime plan and they will need to have experience of working in a “high profile, complex and politically sensitive environment”.

Mr Lloyd went on: “This is someone who looks at the overall strategy about how we are communicating with the public. It is a strategic role it is not someone writing press releases.”

Once the post has been filled Mr Lloyd will be looking at hiring a new deputy police crime commissioner.

That comes after Harpenden town councillor Rachel Frosh resigned from her £20,000 part-time job after causing a furore over a Twitter post likening socialists to Nazis in February.