Your PCC writes...
At the time of putting this newsletter together the Chief Constable of Gwent Police, Julian Williams, announced his retirement.
Julian has been a very effective leader of Gwent Police and has displayed professionalism, tempered with compassion, at all times. I will miss him being at the helm of Gwent Police greatly.
Julian has demonstrated his clear commitment to protecting the most vulnerable in our communities and his decision to create a special unit to help eradicate human trafficking and modern slavery is an excellent example.
I intend to advertise for a new Chief Constable in the next week. A robust, fair and transparent selection process will follow, culminating with a Confirmation Hearing in front of the Police and Crime Panel.
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New Constables
I was delighted to attend the attestation ceremony of 15 new Gwent police constables last Tuesday.
The event marked the very special moment each of the new recruits took their oath to protect and serve the residents of Gwent.
This new cohort of officers are the first to join us under the Policing Education Qualifications Framework (PEQF), a new professional framework for the training of police officers.
They will now undertake six months of training split between core police officer training and studying for a qualification, with the support of our partner university, the University of Wales Trinity St David.
As Police and Crime Commissioner, I have expressed my commitment to maintaining frontline policing across Gwent.
This new intake is in addition to more than 400 new officers we have recruited since April 2016, with plans for another 60 to arrive this financial year.
Congratulations to each and every one of them and I look forward to seeing them in action very soon.
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Gwent High Sherriff Community Fund
The annual High Sheriff’s grant-making event ‘Your Voice, Your Choice’ has taken place, seeing 22 projects awarded funding totalling just under £74,000.
The fund, to which my office contributes up to £55,000, gives monies to projects which aim to build safer communities in Gwent through mentoring and inspiring young people to fulfil their potential.
You can find out more by visiting the Gwent High Sheriffs' Community Fund website.
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Positive Futures Showcases
A series of showcase events, highlighting the work undertaken by Positive Futures, have taken place across Gwent in the last two weeks.
The events, which took place in Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, Newport and Torfaen, saw young people talk about the difference Positive Futures has made to their lives.
The initiative, funded by my office, is a Gwent-wide sport based inclusion programme, which uses sports and physical activity to divert young people away from crime and anti-social behaviour (ASB).
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Smacking Ban
I was asked by BBC Wales to comment on the proposed ‘smacking ban’ bill last week.
I have a firm belief that children in Wales should be given the same protection from physical punishment as adults.
Crucially, this law will not result in any changes for the majority of parents in Wales who believe that smacking is no longer appropriate. However, it is important that the law does not inadvertently criminalise parents.
I will be speaking with the Chief Constable for Gwent to see what practical issues this might raise for policing and how they can best be overcome.
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Policing
Hosted by members of the Gwent Regional Youth Forum and sponsored by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC), the event gave young people from across the county the opportunity to ask questions on topics which matter to them.
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Creative Schools Celebration Event
Year 5 pupils from White Rose Primary school in the Rhymney Valley have hit the airwaves for the final time to celebrate their ‘end of show’ radio show.
The final show was an accumulation of an eight week ‘creative schools’ project, supported by my office’s Partnership Fund.
Throughout the project, the children were taught skills including building resilience, problem solving, creativity and confidence.
You can listen back to all eight shows via the school’s website,
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Cross party group on policing
Last week I took part in a cross party group on policing which was well attended by Assembly Members, Chief Constables and all four Police and Crime Commissioners.
We focussed on this issues of drug abuse, homelessness and rough sleeping, and there was an acceptance by AMs that this is not just a policing issue. Our partners in local authorities, health and the third sector all have a part to play.
An open offer was given to all AMs to link up with their local police inspectors and visit problem areas in their constituencies to see these issues first hand.
I must give particular thanks to ACC Jeremy Vaughn of South Wales Police who leads on these issues for policing in Wales.
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Healthy relationship project launches across Gwent
A project to help young people develop healthy relationships has launched in Gwent.
The Healthy Relationships project has been funded by my office and is being delivered by Regener8 Cymru, which is a not-for-profit community interest company.
It allows young people to discuss issues such as domestic abuse, sexual consent, the use of pornography, sexual exploitation, and respectful relationships, in a safe, supportive environment. So far more than 700 young people from schools, colleges and other youth organisations across Gwent have received the training.
To book training for a school or organisation contact Penny Chapman on 07532 187253 or pennyc@regener8cymru.co.uk
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Volunteer opportunities with the Pill Crime Prevention Panel
The Pill Crime Prevention Panel is recruiting new members.
A Crime Prevention Panel is a group of volunteers that work with the police to prevent crime in their communities.
This could include helping to improve home security, patrols to identify potential victims of crime, raising awareness of crime prevention techniques, community speed watch, and a range of other initiatives to help residents stay safe.
For more information contact pillcrimepreventionpanel@gmail.com.
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Newport ‘Social Seats’
On Tuesday, I joined our partners from Newport Community Connectors, Age Cymru and Gwent Police at a ‘social seats’ session in Newport
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These drop-in sessions give residents the opportunity to sit down with a coffee and have a chat about the services on offer to them.
You can find out more about the ‘social seats’ sessions by visiting the Newport City Council website.
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Deputy Minister briefing
We welcomed Deputy Minister and Chief Whip Jane Hutt to a meeting with the regional organised crime unit (Tarian) last week for a briefing on the impact of serious organised crime on communities in Wales.
The Deputy Minister was grateful for the in-depth analysis on issues such as county lines, drug trafficking, human trafficking and cyber related crime.
We look forward to greater collaboration with the Welsh Government on these issues in the future.
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