Your PCC writes...
This week we mark International Women’s Day. Not only are we celebrating the achievements of women across the globe, but also recognising the need to work together to create a more gender-balanced world.
Gwent Police are working towards this equality and there are now more female officers on the frontline than ever before. Some fantastic work is also being done to give support and a voice to victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse in our communities.
We all have our part to play and this is one of the reasons that I am supporting the He4She campaign.
I would urge everyone to sign up and join me in supporting equality.
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Operation Encompass
From this week onwards, any domestic abuse incident reported to Gwent Police where a child is present will trigger Operation Encompass and the child’s school will be alerted the following morning.
This will allow the school to put the proper safeguarding measures in place.
In January alone, there were 599 reports to Gwent Police of children who either experienced domestic abuse first hand or were present during an incident. Operation Encompass will help us to look after those children who are often unable to reach out and ask for the help they so desperately need.
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Regional dog trials
I attended the regional Gwent Police dog trials at the end of February and was delighted to award the Team of the Year Award to PC 89 Morgan and PD Charlie.
Dogs are tested on skills such as tracking, searching, obedience and agility.
You can see them in action at the National Police Dog Trials at Tredegar House on the Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 May. The event is free for the public to attend.
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Animal Welfare Visitors
February 20 was national Love Your Pet Day so I wanted to take the opportunity to highlight the fantastic work done by our Animal Welfare Visitors.
Animal Welfare Visitors are members of the local community and relevant organisations who visit, observe and report upon the conditions in which Gwent Police dogs are housed, trained and transported.
They help to ensure that police dogs are looked after in the best possible conditions.
More details are available on the website
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Home Office funding to tackle serious organised crime in Newport
I am delighted that the Home Office has agreed to fund partnership efforts to tackle serious and organised crime in Newport for another year.
The work is carried out under the umbrella of the One Newport Public Service Board partnership, which is supported by my office, Newport City Council, Gwent Police, Barnardos, Newport Live, Mutual Gain and Crimestoppers.
We are fortunate in Gwent to have a serious and organised crime coordinator, Chief Inspector Paul Davies, which is a unique role to Wales and focusses on prevention, intervention, community resilience and strategic communication.
Early feedback has been positive and the funding means that prevention and intervention programmes can continue until 2020.
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Support for stalking victims
The Suzy Lamplugh Trust has recently called for Police and Crime Commissioners in Wales to help fund support for stalking victims.
Any victim of stalking and harassment in Gwent is able to obtain support from a dedicated domestic abuse caseworker based in our Connect Gwent victim’s hub, which is funded by my office. The caseworker is fully trained and experienced in supporting victims of stalking and harassment.
Call 0300 123 21 33 to speak to an advisor. You do not have to report the incident to the police to access this support.
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Visit My Mosque Day
I would like to thank everyone at the Jamia Hanfia Mosque in Newport for welcoming me as part of Visit My Mosque Day on Sunday 3 March.
I see community cohesion as a critical part of my Police and Crime Plan, and visits like these help to build trust, understanding and respect between communities.
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Cyber bus tour
The Wales Cyber Safety Bus tour launched on Monday and will tour across south Wales throughout March.
The tour has been organised by Tarian, the regional organised crime unit which is supported by Gwent Police, and is raising awareness about cybercrime.
You can check if the bus is coming to your area here
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Connecting Café to tackle organised crime
More than 40 residents from Ringland and Alway have taken part in a ‘connecting café’ event to discuss serious and organised crime in their area.
The event was funded by my office and allows residents, who would not normally engage with the police and other partners, the opportunity to have their say and give their views in a safe, supportive environment.
The way organised crime gangs now infiltrate local communities means that we rely on local knowledge and intelligence in order to disrupt and dismantle their operations.
You can read more here
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