Police, Crime and Justice Plan 2025 - 2029

Foreword by Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent Jane Mudd
Foreword by Gwent Police Chief Constable Mark Hobrough
Policing in Gwent - overview
Challenges in Gwent - overview
What did the public tell me?
What did partners tell me?
What are the national priorities? 
Introducing my Police, Crime and Justice Plan
Plan foundations
Preventing crime and antisocial behaviour
Making our communities safer
Protecting the vulnerable
Putting victims first
Reducing reoffending
Monitoring and other actions
Policing roles and responsibilities
Holding the Chief Constable to account
Children and young people charter
Partnerships to help deliver the plan
Funding this plan
Commissioning services
Community engagement
Volunteering opportunities
Contact your commissioner 

Foreword by Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent Jane Mudd

I am incredibly proud to have been elected as your Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC).

It is a huge privilege to be your voice on policing.

My role serves you, the residents of Gwent, and I will hold the Chief Constable to account, on your behalf,
for policing in Gwent.

I am committed to the people of Gwent receiving the best possible policing service.

Since my election in May 2024, I have been seeking the views of residents, partners and businesses, so that I can make sure my plan reflects your priorities.

I’m grateful to everyone who has taken the time to respond to our surveys, participated in our focus groups and, importantly, spoken to us in person about this.

Through this I have identified five priorities that will be the key areas of focus that I commit to for the next four years.

I will work with the Chief Constable to ensure we do all we can to protect victims of crime and anti-social behaviour (ASB), and deter offending and re-offending by recognising the
symptoms of crime, understanding the causes, and intervening early to stop offending behaviour.

I will be your voice, hold the Chief Constable to account, and work collaboratively with partners across the public, private and third sector here in Gwent to deliver the priorities of this plan.

My plan has been, and will continue to be, informed by residents, partners, and businesses.

I understand that our people, our places and our communities are diverse; from our rural areas to our valleys, our market towns to our city, the Chief Constable and I will do all that we can to ensure that your policing priorities are met.

Foreword by Gwent Police Chief Constable Mark Hobrough

As Chief Constable, it is my privilege to support the Commissioner’s Police, Crime and Justice Plan, which outlines the strategic priorities set for 2025-2029.

This plan is a testament to our unwavering commitment to delivering an outstanding quality of life for the communities of Gwent, reducing crime in line with Safer Streets, addressing and preventing anti-social behaviour, focusing on vulnerability, putting victims at the forefront of the criminal justice process, and reducing reoffending.

Our overarching aim is to improve trust and confidence through true connection and engagement in our communities.

We are dedicated to being visible in our communities and involved in local problem-solving, following the
traditional neighbourhood policing team style.

This approach ensures that we are not only present, but also actively engaged in addressing the issues that matter most to our residents.

We strive to be an inclusive and caring organisation, understanding that policing cannot address every issue alone.

This innovative approach, with a full criminal justice intention, excites me as it underscores the importance of collaboration and partnership in achieving our goals.

This plan is not just a document; it is a roadmap for our collective journey towards a safer and more just society.

It reflects the dedication and hard work of our officers, staff, and partners who are committed to making a positive difference in the lives of the people we serve.

I am confident that, with the continued support of our communities and partners, we will achieve the goals set out in this plan and build a policing service that is trusted, respected, and effective.

Thank you for your ongoing support and commitment.

Policing in Gwent - overview

Policing area

  • Population: 595,000 – 19% of Wales
  • 51% Female / 49% Male
  • 21% under-18 / 21% over-65
  • 8.3% from an ethnic heritage background
  • Covers 964 sq miles
  • Contains Wales’ third largest city, large rural areas, and some of the south Wales valleys
  • Severn Estuary coastline in the south and parts of the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) in the north
  • England to the east and Cardiff to the west
  • The M4 motorway runs through the south, with 122,000 vehicles using it every day
  • The A465 ‘Heads of the Valleys’ road runs through the north of Gwent. This connects Herefordshire in England to Swansea
  • Some of the most deprived and least deprived communities in Wales are in Gwent

Blaenau Gwent County Borough 

Population: 67,000

The smallest population in Gwent. Its largest valleys towns are Abertillery, Brynmawr, Ebbw Vale and Tredegar. Tredegar was the birthplace of Aneurin ‘Nye’ Bevan, who gave us the NHS when an MP. Blaenau Gwent has a significant industrial and mining heritage. Trefil Quarry is the largest scheduled ancient monument in Wales.

Police recorded 7,759 crimes in Blaenau Gwent in 2023/24, with a crime rate of 115 per 1,000 population.

85% of Blaenau Gwent’s population are in Wales’ top 50% most deprived ‘lower super output areas’ (LSOAs). Blaenau Gwent has the highest level of severe child poverty in Wales.

Caerphilly County Borough

Population: 176,000

The largest population in Gwent, spread across many towns and villages. Caerphilly County Borough has significant rural and mining heritage. Its largest town is Caerphilly. Caerphilly is home to the second largest castle in Britain, after Windsor. It borders Merthyr Tydfil (South Wales Police) in the west.

Police recorded 15,242 crimes in Caerphilly County Borough in 2023/24, with a crime rate of 86 per 1,000 population.

63% of Caerphilly’s population are in Wales’ top 50% most deprived LSOAs. It has two LSOAs in the top-10 most deprived in Wales.

Monmouthshire County 

Population: 95,000

The largest land area in Gwent. Monmouthshire is largely rural communities, with a rural and tourist economy. The Black Mountains in the north are part of Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons). The Wye Valley Area of
Outstanding Natural Beauty is in the east. There are 25 million car journeys across the Severn bridges each year.

Police recorded 5,927 crimes in Monmouthshire in 2023/24, with a crime rate of 63 per 1,000 population.

Monmouthshire is Wales’ least deprived local authority area. Only 19.6% of its population is in Wales’ top 50% most deprived LSOAs.

City of Newport

Population: 164,000

Newport is the third largest city and the fastest growing unitary authority in Wales. Its port handles about £1billion trade and 1.8million tonnes of cargo every year. The Celtic Manor hosted the Ryder Cup in 2010 and the NATO Summit in 2014. The city centre has a thriving evening and night-time economy.

Police recorded 19,110 crimes in Newport in 2023/24, with a crime rate of 117 per 1,000 population.

24% of Newport’s population are in Wales’ top 10% most deprived LSOAs.

Torfaen County Borough 

Population: 93,000

Torfaen has three main towns - Blaenavon, Pontypool and Cwmbran. Half of the population is in Cwmbran, where Gwent Police Headquarters is also located. Cwmbran has the second largest undercover shopping centre in Wales. Blaenavon is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, while Pontypool has a 150 acre public park.

Police recorded 9,170 crimes in Torfaen in 2023/24, with a crime rate of 98 per 1,000 population. 50% of Torfaen’s population are in Wales’ top 50% most deprived LSOAs.


Challenges in Gwent - Overview

 

Deprivation / Household

Early years (0-18):

  • 25,505 children in low income families
  • 17,673 pupils eligible for free school meals
  • 475 children receiving support on the child protection register
  • 1,050 in foster placements

Working years (18-65)

  • 45% households in fuel poverty
  • 15% living in material deprivation
  • Trussell Trust delivered 34,076 food parcels, up from 21,935 six years ago 46 rough sleepers a month

Older years (65+):

  • Life expectancy for a male = 78.1 years
  • Healthy life expectancy = 60.1 years
  • Life expectancy for a female = 80.1 years
  • Healthy life expectancy = 58.9 years

Education / Employment

Early years (0-18):

  • 21.4% children between nursery and secondary school with special educational needs
  • 7,062 exclusions up to five days
  • 204 permanent exclusions

Working years (18-65):

  • 4.3% unemployment rate
  • 24.7% 16-64yr olds not actively participating in the labour market
  • One in eight people in Newport and Caerphilly and one in six in Monmouthshire had an hourly pay below the cost of living (no data Torfaen & Blaenau Gwent)

Substance misuse / mental health

Early years (0-18):

  • 21.3% children 11-16 have tried vapes and 3.1% smoke
  • One in 12 year 7-11 drink alcohol at least once per week and one in 12 have tried cannabis
  • 16% boys and 13% of girls in years 7-11 have used drugs

Working years (18-65):

  • 16.8% adults drink above safe weekly guidelines
  • 79 suicides, with a third of these in Caerphilly
  • 15.3% feeling lonely
  • 56 drug misuse deaths
  • 1,041 referrals to Gwent Drug and Alcohol Service

Older years (65+):

  • 4,375 people recorded as living with dementia

Crime

Early years (0-18):

  • 3,498 offenders aged 10-18
  • 3,565 victims
  • Four in 1,000 children victims of child criminal exploitation and/or sexual exploitation
  • Estimated four in 100 involved in the criminal justice system

Working years (18-65):

  • 15,858 offenders
  • 5,404 repeat offenders
  • 25,033 victims
  • 5,712 repeat victims
  • 11,115 domestic abuse incidents

Older years (65+):

  • 856 offenders
  • 158 repeat offenders
  • 2,529 victims
  • 369 repeat victims
  • 310 victims of domestic offences
  • 188 perpetrators of domestic crime

What did the public tell me?

I engaged extensively with the communities of Gwent to hear their views on what the priorities should be in my plan.

I’m grateful for everyone who contributed through various engagement events, surveys and focus groups, with nearly 8,000 people engaging with me and my office in 2024.

You told me:

Are Gwent Police dealing with the issues that are most important to you?

  • Yes 28%
  • No 41%
  • Unsure 31%

Have you been a victim of crime in the past 12 months?

  • Yes 19%
  • No 81%

If yes, did you report it to Gwent Police?

  • Yes 75%
  • No 25%

If yes, were you satisfied with the response?

  • Yes 34%
  • No 66%

Please rank where I should prioritise funding and investment?

  1. Crime prevention activity
  2. Reducing offending by children
  3. Safeguarding / protecting vulnerable people
  4. Reducing adult reoffending
  5. Helping victims
  6. Community cohesion

What aspects of policing are most important to you and should be the highest priority for me?

  • Visible and accessible police in the community
  • Feeling safe in the evenings and night-time
  • Ensuring victims are treated with respect and receive updates on
    their case
  • A positive experience reporting crimes and interacting with Gwent
    Police
  • Gwent Police having the right technology, training and equipment to
    fight crime
You want me to focus on… Your main reasons why…
Street/neighbourhood crimes:
  1. Burglary, robbery and thefts
  2. Public order and criminal damage
  3. Antisocial behaviour
  1. I see this in my community
  2. It’s generally a big problem
  3. The impact on victims
Hidden crimes affecting the vulnerable: 
  1. Child criminal/sexual exploitation
  2. Rape and sexual assaults
  3. Domestic abuse
  1. The impact on victims
  2. It’s generally a big problem
  3. I know someone affected by it
Serious and organised crimes:
  1. Gangs and groups supplying drugs
  2. Serious violence e.g. knife crime
  3. Forced labour and slavery
  1. It’s generally a big problem
  2. The impact on victims
  3. I see this in my community

Taking everything into account, how good a job do you think Gwent Police are doing?

  • Excellent 5%
  • Good 32%
  • Neutral 33%
  • Poor 16%
  • Very Poor 11%
  • Don’t know 3%

What did partners tell me?

I engaged with the key criminal justice and community safety partners that I will work closely with to help develop this plan.

What are the key crime and policing issues facing communities and/or service users?

  • People not feeling safe in their homes and communities
  • Antisocial behaviour in our streets
  • Violence and serious violence
  • Domestic abuse and sexual violence, particularly young male sexual violence against women
  • County lines and criminal exploitation of children and vulnerable people
  • Radicalisation of vulnerable people
  • Long-term trauma of victims and children and support to vulnerable groups
  • Theft, especially retail crime
  • Substance misuse and the night-time economy, for example drug runners on e-scooters
  • Fraud, rogue traders, illegal tobacco, vapes and counterfeit goods

What are the needs of communities and/or service users that could cause more crime?

  • Worsening deprivation in parts of Gwent
  • Levels of alcohol and substance misuse, access to illicit drugs, counterfeit and adulterated substances
  • An aging population with associated vulnerabilities
  • Poor mental health in communities, particularly in children and young people
  • Lack of understanding of neurodiversity in the population
  • General health and well-being in the community
  • Reducing community cohesion
  • Access to NHS, specialist women’s services, early intervention and prevention services
  • Physical vulnerabilities such as poor CCTV and street lighting

What are the key challenges you face that impact on crime and community safety?

  • Population demographics changing
  • Sustainable funding and budget restrictions
  • Increase in management of offenders in the community
  • Pressure on available housing/accommodation
  • Independent review of sentencing
  • Access to joined-up, multi-agency evidence and intelligence – sharing data between agencies
  • Public CCTV facing funding pressures
  • Increasing requirements on community safety partnerships
  • Reduction in long-term prevention focus
  • New UK and Welsh government priorities

What priorities would you like to see in the Police, Crime and Justice Plan?

  • Tackle antisocial behaviour, serious violence and violence against women and girls, domestic abuse and sexual violence
  • Safeguarding of vulnerable people
  • Support to the evening and night-time economy
  • Improved collaboration, such as aligning priorities and sharing of data
  • Engagement with residents
  • Reducing inequality
  • A plan that focuses on: People who offend, early intervention and prevention; support for victims; mental health and substance misuse

What are the national priorities? 

The UK Government’s Safer Streets Mission is to “halve serious violent crime and raise confidence in the police and criminal justice system to its highest levels, within a decade.”

They plan to:

  • Halve the level of violence against women and girls
  • Halve the incidents of knife crime
  • Raise confidence in every police force to its highest levels
  • Reverse the collapse in the proportion of crimes solved

The government’s mission aims to reduce serious violent crimes, while raising confidence in policing. They expect more visible policing, faster courts, and higher standards to achieve this, which will result in more criminals being brought to justice.

A new Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee is committing to an extra 13,000 police officers, police community support officers and special constables for visible, local policing across the UK. They are also committing to a new Youth Futures Programme, with new hubs and prevention partnerships being rolled out across the UK to focus on reducing knife crime.

Finally, a new performance unit in the Home Office will be established to monitor police performance.

The reforms will come with an enhanced role for Police and Crime Commissioners to prevent crime. Some of this has been outlined in the new Crime and Policing Bill 2025, which will begin the process to make some of the legal changes needed.

I admire the aspirational nature of the mission and its aims, and I have considered these in my plan. I will work with ministers and officials to ensure Gwent receives its fair share of funding to implement these changes.

Strategic Policing Requirement 

The Strategic Policing Requirement (SPR) sets out the national threats to which police forces in England and Wales must respond.

I considered the SPR when writing this plan. Some of the SPR I am responsible for, but most is the responsibility of the Chief Constable.

We will continue to work together to ensure Gwent Police are well positioned to tackle these threats. This includes working with other police forces, and regional and national partners.

The national threats currently set out in the SPR are:

  • Violence against women and girls (VAWG)
  • Terrorism
  • Serious and organised crime
  • A national cyber incident
  • Child sexual abuse
  • Public disorder
  • Civil emergencies

Introducing my Police, Crime and Justice Plan

Delivering my Police, Crime and Justice Plan is one of the most important aspects of my role.

My plan sets the strategic direction for Gwent Police, the work of my office and how we work with our partners. My office and I have engaged far and wide to take account of the views of the public, partners and beyond. Along with my manifesto, your voices have helped shape the plan and I’m very grateful for your contribution.

Firstly, I am driven to improving trust and confidence in Gwent Police. Trust and confidence are vital to maintain the British tradition of policing by consent. Our system of policing is built on this principle. You need trust and confidence to report crimes, particularly if you are vulnerable. And you need trust and confidence that the police will deliver a good service when you need them most. That’s why I will continue to push for this to improve.

Through our public engagement you said that crime prevention and visible local policing are vital to provide community reassurance. I completely agree, which is why these aspects feature heavily in my plan. I also recognise that many police officers and staff are keeping you safe from behind closed doors. I will work with the Chief Constable to balance the need for visible policing whilst keeping you safe in other ways. The nature of crime is always changing and evolving, which reflects the society in which we live. Some crimes have significantly increased in recent years, such as retail crime, serious violence, violence against women
and girls, and domestic abuse. The changing nature of exploitation and abuse of vulnerable people is also a growing concern.

Criminals will continually innovate to achieve their goals, and the development of new technologies creates new and different threats that policing must face. This is clear when looking at online harms, fraud, and the
emergence of artificial intelligence and deep-fakes. That is why I will work with Gwent Police and partners to invest in innovative ways to tackle these changing threats.

I am also committed to the workforce of Gwent Police, and ensuring they have everything they need to do the best job they can. Managing staff welfare and wellbeing is a responsibility of the Chief Constable, but I will ensure Gwent Police have the relevant plans in place to enable this.

I must also ensure Gwent Police have effective resources, strategies, equipment, technology, training, and estate to manage the everchanging nature of crime.

Together, these requirements are fundamental to help to keep you safe.

In a break from tradition, my commitment is to deliver a Police, Crime and Justice Plan. My focus on a strong justice system is to ensure we deliver swift and effective justice for victims. And ensure that offenders get the punishment to fit their crimes. It’s also important that offenders are supported to rehabilitate and reintegrate into the community, so they don’t reoffend in the future.

We need a justice system that puts victims at the heart of what we do and truly tackles reoffending. Therefore, I will use my powers to work with our justice partners to strengthen and improve the system.

My priorities within this plan identify and set some specific aspirational goals. However, other aspects of policing and crime reduction are also relevant and important. These will need due care and attention from me, my office and Gwent Police. I want to reassure you that the priorities in this plan will not be the sole issues I monitor. I will also review and assess my priorities every year to ensure they remain the right ones. I will adjust them where necessary.

Crime is ever changing, and we need to ensure we have the right plans in place to address these changes. The following pages explain the key priorities for Gwent that I will use to hold Gwent Police to account and how you, the public, can hold me to account.

Plan foundations

Working in partnership

Nothing can be achieved by working in isolation. This is why working together in a collaborative way is so crucial to achieve the goals set out within this plan. I will build productive and smarter partnerships with community safety and justice partners, who I know share the same goals as me.

Ethics and standards

The policing profession should have the highest standards of behaviour. The public has a right to expect this and I will ensure this is a focus for Gwent Police and my office. Professionalism is necessary for the delivery of a quality service, as well as building trust and confidence. I will continually emphasise the need for strong ethical standards for Gwent Police and my office.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

Gwent has varied and diverse communities – I celebrate that diversity. People have different views of Gwent Police, often due to their past experiences. This can also be due to differences in age, gender, ethnicity, religion, or from living in our diverse rural, valleys or urban communities. It’s crucial that I listen to and act on this range of voices in delivering my plan.

Data-driven, evidence led

I believe that good quality information, intelligence and insight drive good quality decision
making. This applies to my office, Gwent Police and our work with partners. I want to work better together to share and understand our data and improve what we do. By doing this we will deliver better outcomes for the community.

Sustainability 

It is important that the delivery of policing services in Gwent are
sustainable. This includes the finances that Gwent Police need and my funding of crime prevention and victim services. I also want to ensure that we are able to recruit and retain quality staff whose well-being and welfare is a priority, so they can deliver for the community. Finally, I also want to reduce the impact that policing has on the wider environment in which our communities live, work and play.

Transparency and accountability 

The police have significant powers, including the ability to take away someone’s freedom and liberty. Therefore, transparency and accountability of decision making is essential to have trust and confidence in policing. I am increasing transparency of decision-making to help foster that trust and confidence. This applies to the Chief Constable, their officers and staff, and me and my office.

Preventing crime and antisocial behaviour

Making crime prevention a priority for Gwent Police and partners. Reducing the ability and likelihood of someone committing a crime and making more victims.

I firmly believe that preventing crime is better than dealing with the consequences.Therefore, I want to increase the focus on crime prevention activity to achieve this aim. This includes having more visible, local policing on our streets to provide reassurance to communities, and working with partners to try to tackle the reasons why someone may turn to crime.

Trying to divert people away from committing crime and antisocial behaviour in the first place will reduce the harm this causes and the number of victims this creates. Therefore, I will work in partnership locally, regionally and nationally to deliver an increased focus on this. If we put our collective efforts, energies and resources together, we can impact on the drivers of crime like substance misuse and mental health needs.

What will I do?

  • Ensure that Gwent Police prioritises the visible presence of police officers and staff in our communities.
  • Ensure Gwent Police increases the reach of their general and targeted crime prevention activity, and communication and engagement approach.
  • Ensure my office continues to develop various methods to expand engagement with different communities to help them to understand how to stay safe.
  • Introduce new efforts to understand the true scale of crime happening across Gwent, so we can understand how to prevent it.
  • Work with our community safety partners to align our priorities, focus on early intervention and prevention, and target resources to the most affected communities.
  • Fund and support local projects, programmes and interventions that help to divert people from crime and keep our streets safe. In particular, focus investment on tackling the levels of substance misuse, mental health and other needs you have told me are driving crime.
  • Focus investment on supporting children and young people to not get involved in crime and ASB in the first place and help them to identify when criminals are seeking to exploit them to commit crimes on their behalf.
  • Work with the UK and Welsh Governments to support the roll-out of their initiatives, such as more officers from the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee.

My priorities for Gwent

More visible and accessible policing Working together with Gwent Police and partners to:

  • Address the root causes of crime, in particular substance misuse
  • Engage children and young people
  • Increase crime prevention advice and guidance

Making our communities safer

Ensuring Gwent Police respond when you need them most and work in partnership to crack down on the visible street crimes and antisocial behaviour that blight our communities and make people feel unsafe.

I want you to feel safe in your community, whether you’re out for work or leisure, and particularly at night. And if you do need to call Gwent Police, I want you to know you’ll get a quick and effective response.

Therefore, I want Gwent Police to focus on making our communities safer and getting to you when you need them most.

I want to work with Gwent Police and our community safety partners to crack down on street crimes and antisocial behaviour, which blight our diverse communities and ruins the lives and livelihoods of people in them. And I want to tackle ‘acquisitive crimes’ like thefts, robberies and burglaries, and the increasing level of violence and knife crime that you have told me you are seeing, much of which is driven by serious, organised criminals.

This doesn’t just apply to our towns and cities. I have seen first hand the devastating impacts these crimes can have in our rural communities too, so I want to ensure they also have adequate focus to ensure everyone can feel safe and be safe.

What will I do?

  • Ensure Gwent Police effectively responds to and investigates reports of crime and antisocial behaviour, in particular answering emergency calls in a timely manner and getting to you in as quick a time as possible.
  • Ensure Gwent Police prioritises tackling ‘acquisitive crimes’ and retail crimes that impact on our homes, businesses and communities, and tackles serious violence, knife crime and disrupts the serious organised crime that drives much of this crime.
  • Convene and hold partners to account for their plans under the Serious Violence Duty, and ensure they are putting in place effective measures to prevent and reduce serious violence.
  • Focus on reducing serious youth violence and support youth offending services to help turn young lives around.
  • Work with community safety partners to use our collective powers and influence to tackle crime and ASB, including introducing a new strategic safer communities group to provide greater joined-up system leadership across Gwent.
  • Invest in projects, programmes and interventions that help to tackle neighbourhood crimes, including working with the UK Government to invest targeting hotspot areas with high levels of antisocial behaviour.

My priorities for Gwent

  • Reducing serious violence and knife crime
  • Tackling burglary, robbery and thefts
  • Cracking down on antisocial behaviour (ASB)
  • Tackling retail crime and assaults on staff

Protecting the vulnerable

Working with Gwent Police and partners to ensure that vulnerable people and victims are identified, protected and supported, and reduce the harms caused by hidden crimes.

Some of the most vulnerable in our society face the biggest threats to their safety from people who would seek to exploit them.

Whether that’s the epidemic of violence against women and girls, exploitation of children or the elderly, or the growing harms being caused online such as fraud and stalking.

Therefore, I want to work with Gwent Police and our partners to do more to uncover and reduce the hidden vulnerability, crimes and victims within our communities.

I want to increase the focus on tackling the criminal and sexual exploitation of vulnerable people, particularly children.

And I want to work with different communities to increase trust and confidence in policing, to close the gap between the number of actual crimes we suspect are being committed and the number being reported to police.

Ultimately, I want to work together to reduce the trauma our most vulnerable people face.

What will I do?

  • Ensure Gwent Police focuses on those crimes that impact the most vulnerable and cause the highest harm.
  • Fund and support local projects, programmes and interventions that support vulnerable people who come to police attention.
  • Work with Gwent Police, our communities and partners to do more to understand the true scale of exploitation of vulnerable people in Gwent, particularly the criminal and sexual exploitation of children.
  • Work with safeguarding partners to ensure we have the people, systems and processes in place to safeguard and protect those children and adults who are most at risk from harm.
  • Bring community safety partners together to put a renewed focus on improving the response to violence against women and girls, domestic abuse and sexual violence. In particular invest in developing our collective response to stalking and harassment.
  • Develop a new Strategic Equality Plan that aims to increase confidence from marginalised communities to report crimes and improve the police response to hate crimes.
  • Do more to educate and inform children, the wider community and businesses about the threats posed online and how they can protect themselves.

My priorities for Gwent

  • Tackling violence against women and girls, domestic abuse and sexual violence (VAWDASV)
  • Tackling hate crimes
  • Safeguarding children and young people
  • Protecting people from fraud and online harms

Putting victims first

Making sure that Gwent Police and the criminal justice system strive to deliver better outcomes for victims – keeping them updated and informed, and providing effective support to help them stay safe, cope and recover.

Being a victim of crime can be a traumatic and life-changing experience. It can affect someone physically and emotionally and have lasting consequences on them, their family and the wider community. As people respond in different ways to being a victim, we need to be there to help them move on with their lives. Therefore, I want Gwent Police to have the culture and practices committed to achieving justice for victims and putting their needs first.

I want victims to report receiving an excellent service from Gwent Police officers and staff, supported by funding from my office. None of this can be achieved without an effective justice system, which is why I will work together with partners to strive for a justice system that works for victims, witnesses and the wider public.

Together, we can keep victims informed, support them with their needs, and deliver fair and effective justice for them.

What will I do?

  • Hold Gwent Police to account for providing a victim-focused service that delivers better outcomes for victims.
  • Ensure victims’ voices are more effectively heard throughout the training, policies and strategies that will make improvements to Gwent Police.
  • Use my role as chair of the Local Criminal Justice Board to work with partners to ensure the justice system is the best it can be for victims and witnesses, and ensure criminal justice partners hold each other to account for the delivery of our shared commitments to improve the justice system.
  • Ensure compliance with the rights of victims as laid out in the Victims’ Code of Practice and use new powers available to me to monitor police and partnership arrangements.
  • Fund effective support services for victims, to help them cope, recover and prevent them becoming victims again.
  • Listen to the views of victims to invest in new and innovative ways to
    support them, based on their feedback.

My priorities for Gwent

  • Working together with criminal justice partners to improve the criminal justice system
  • Protecting victims from further harm
  • Improving victims’ access to information and updates
  • Ensuring access to help and support

Reducing reoffending 

Ensuring Gwent Police are solving more crimes, catching more criminals, and together with our justice partners, using effective solutions to reduce further offending.

To deliver justice for victims and the community, we need to solve more crimes. I want Gwent Police to leave no stone unturned when trying to bring offenders to justice. And I want our communities to be safe and protected from the most violent and dangerous criminals, most of whom will be living in the community with us.

But we also need to turn offenders away from a life of crime and play a positive role in society – particularly children and young people.

All too often an offender’s choice to commit crime comes from their personal or social circumstances driving them to that choice.

Whether that’s the influence of family and friends, a lack of employment, additional learning needs, poor mental health or, in particular, substance misuse.

Therefore, I want to work with Gwent Police and our wider justice partners to invest in finding the most effective ways to prevent reoffending. I want to break the cycle.

What will I do?

  • Ensure Gwent Police carry out quality investigations and increasingly solves the crimes that are reported to them, identifying and bringing offenders to justice.
  • Ensure Gwent Police has effective strategies and plans for managing violent, dangerous and predatory offenders in the community.
  • Further develop a child-centred policing approach that identifies children who have offended as ‘children first, offender second’, so they can get the support they need to turn from crime.
  • Invest in pre-court diversion services that can help to educate, rehabilitate and reintegrate offenders to reduce offending, for both child and adult offenders.
  • Use my role as chair of the Local Criminal Justice Board to ensure the justice system focuses on reducing reoffending and ensure partners hold each other to account for the delivery of our shared commitments to improve criminal justice outcomes.
  • Work with wider criminal justice and community safety partners to focus on addressing substance misuse, mental health, and other needs of offenders in the community.

My priorities for Gwent

  • Working together with criminal justice partners to improve the criminal justice system
  • Catching offenders and solving more crimes
  • Diverting young offenders from a life of crime
  • Rehabilitating and reintegrating offenders

Monitoring and other actions

To understand progress against the priorities, I will be monitoring a range of performance measures, indicators and information from different sources.

This will help to provide transparency and accountability for the efficiency and effectiveness of policing services for the people of Gwent. I will also use this information to inform and prioritise my work and the work of my office. Therefore, below I outline my overall performance monitoring approach.

Gwent Police key performance measures and indicators

Each priority in the plan has a range of specific performance measures and indicators that help me to monitor progress. These key measures will include things like the number of crimes reported to Gwent Police, how many have been investigated and offenders arrested, and the number of victims satisfied with the response. I will receive regular reports from Gwent Police and other sources (such as the Home Office or Office for National Statistics) to enable me to track progress against the priorities. Importantly, I will be checking to see whether the data reflects reality through my engagement with residents across Gwent.

Outcomes from Commissioner funding and investments

All organisations that I fund are required to report back to me on whether they are achieving their intended results and delivering value for money against the plan priorities. This can include things like how many victims have been supported following a crime, how many offenders have been helped to come off drugs, or how many children have been diverted from crime. My office will monitor this closely on my behalf and report progress back to me through my internal governance arrangements. I will also regularly check to see whether the activity I fund is making a difference to the people and communities who should be benefiting most.

Shared priorities and outcomes from partnerships and collaborations

My office and I are involved in a range of partnerships and police collaborations across Gwent, Wales and beyond, with shared priorities that help me to deliver against this plan. I contribute funding or other resources from my team to help develop and deliver joint outcomes and new initiatives that impact on crime. Therefore, in collaboration with partners, I will monitor how effectively these work, the outcomes from my contribution to them, and whether they deliver value for money for people in Gwent, particularly if the partnership sits outside of our borders. I will always work with partners to make improvements where needed.

Cross-cutting actions and monitoring

Outside of monitoring progress against the priorities are some additional monitoring arrangements and cross-cutting actions that I am committed to delivering. These cut across all of the priorities and help to build on the foundations of the plan.

Trust and confidence

I will always monitor levels of trust and confidence in Gwent Police. As I mentioned at the start, trust and confidence reflect the fundamental relationship between Gwent Police and the communities it serves. Without the trust and confidence from the community, we cannot achieve the goals within this plan. As such, I will strive to increase the levels of trust and confidence from where they are now.

Sustainability 

We need to live within our means and ensure Gwent Police delivers an efficient and effective service. But not at a great expense to the people and the environment around us. I do not want the well-being of future generations to be negatively affected by what we do today.

Therefore, I will monitor:

  • Financial sustainability – delivering value for money and operating within our means
  • Environmental sustainability and lowering our collective carbon footprint
  • Workforce sustainability – their health, safety and well-being

By monitoring these I will ensure the Chief Constable and I have effective resources, strategies, equipment, technology and training in place to deliver against the priorities in this plan.

I am also responsible for all police assets in the form of land and property and the vehicles, equipment, furniture and other items in them. I must ensure they effectively contribute to the delivery of a quality policing service for our communities.

To do this, I need an effective estate strategy to ensure the buildings and facilities are fit for purpose. The estate must also support operational delivery for the Chief Constable and enable the workforce to perform their duties effectively.

Therefore, I will deliver a new Estate Strategy in the first year of this plan. The strategy will provide an assessment of the current estate against the multiple competing operational, corporate and public requirements.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

I will never stray from my commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and improving the lives of some of our most marginalised and overlooked communities. This is why it’s a foundation to my plan and I have specific priorities to improve issues like hate crime. As part of this commitment, the Equality Act 2010 requires me to have regard to the following matters in all that I do:

  • Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010.
  • Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.
  • Foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.

To do this, I will publish a new Strategic Equality Plan in the first year of this plan. I will commit to invest the resources and use the powers available to me to make improvements to the lives of our diverse communities, and I will work harder to increase the voices of these communities. I will monitor the effectiveness of this plan through my internal governance processes and each year I will publish an annual report showing the outcomes and effectiveness of it and what changes I intend
to make.

Although not a formal part of the Equality Act, I will also play my part to further Gwent Police and my office’s commitment to expanding the use of the Welsh language.

That’s why I will also deliver a new Welsh Language Strategy and monitor the implementation of Gwent Police’s equivalent.

Transparency, accountability, ethics and standards

One of my key roles is holding the Chief Constable to account for delivering a quality service and having regard to this plan. You need to know that Gwent Police are using resources efficiently and effectively.

You also need to know that officers and staff use their powers proportionately, ethically and to the standards we expect. This is essential for building trust and confidence. That is why I am committed to increasing transparency and accountability through a new scrutiny and assurance programme. The programme includes reforms to how I monitor Gwent Police performance and delivery against this plan.

It also includes independent, external audit and inspection arrangements, and of course, scrutiny of me and my office.

Policing roles and responsibilities

Public

  • They vote for the Government and pay taxes. Part of their taxes go to the
    Home Office to pay, among other things, for policing in England and Wales
  • They elect the Police and Crime Commissioners and hold them to account for the police service they receive
  • The policing precept is raised by the Commissioner to help pay for local policing services

Government

  • Sets national policing priorities known as the Strategic Policing Requirement (eg counter terrorism, mutual aid)
  • Passes laws which govern policing
  • Allocates funds to Commissioners in England and Wales

Police

  • Led by the Chief Constable
  • Protect the public
  • Prevent crime and anti-social behaviour
  • Enforce the law
  • Investigate crime
  • Help victims of crime
  • Operate in line with the force’s values and behaviours

Chief Constable 

  • Accountable to the Commissioner for the performance of the force
  • Advises Commissioner on strategy and budget to meet current threats, risk and harm
  • Leads the officers and staff of Gwent Police
  • Responsible for the operational delivery of policing and maintaining “the King’s Peace”
  • Has operational independence and absolute discretion as to who or what should be investigated
  • Explains to the public the operational actions of officers and staff
  • Responsible for upholding the police force’s values and behaviours
  • Remains politically independent

Police and Crime Commissioner

  • Provides the link between the police and communities
  • Elected by the public and accountable to them for the performance of the force
  • Translates the legitimate demands of the public into action
  • Sets the strategy for policing and community safety (Police and Crime Plan)
  • Maintains an efficient and effective police force
  • Sets the budget and precept
  • Owns all police assets (eg buildings, vehicles)
  • Hires and (if necessary) fires Chief Constable
  • Holds chief constable to account for performance of the police service Commissions range of services to deliver Police and Crime Plans

Police and Crime Panel

  • Supports and scrutinises Commissioner
  • Reviews proposed appointments of senior officers
  • Reviews Commissioner’s proposed precept

Holding the Chief Constable to account

My Assurance and Accountability Board will be the main forum where I hold the Chief Constable to account.

This board will focus on scrutinising delivery of the plan and wider performance of Gwent Police. The board will be recorded and published online for you to see.

Each year I will also hold public scrutiny sessions with the Chief Constable in each local authority area. These will focus on the local issues affecting the different communities across Gwent. I will also have weekly 1-1s with the Chief Constable.

To support me, my team will also undertake a range of scrutiny activities on my behalf to provide assurance to me about Gwent Police performance. All findings, actions and follow-up activities will be formally reported back to me, and any official reports will be published on my website.

  • My Chief Executive will hold a quarterly scrutiny meeting with Gwent Police’s Professional Standards Department. This will review performance against complaints, conduct, vetting and other standards matters.
  • My office will facilitate, coordinate and/or chair a range of scrutiny panels. These will evolve during the life of the plan. For example, the Legitimacy Scrutiny Panel focuses on disproportionality of Gwent Police’s use of stop and search and use of force. My office coordinates and facilitates this panel. The Out of Court Resolutions Scrutiny Panel reviews decisions to issue an out of court resolution instead of charging an offender to court. My office chairs this meeting.
  • My team will be tasked to undertake more detailed evidence gathering ‘deep dive’ research reviews. These will focus on areas of concern following my broader scrutiny, and/or driven by new and emerging local or national issues. I may also fund specialists to undertake this work, if I need additional expertise.
  • Should a matter be of significant concern, I also have the ability to ask His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) to carry out a spot inspection of Gwent Police. I would not make this decision lightly, but the option is available to me.

In terms of inspections, HMICFRS periodically undertake Police Efficiency, Effectiveness and Legitimacy (PEEL) inspections of Gwent Police.

Each PEEL inspection generates a report on the current state of Gwent Police, including what’s working well and areas for improvement. The next PEEL inspection of Gwent Police is due to report in 2025. I will use the findings from this to inform my scrutiny programme.

HMICFRS also undertake regular thematic inspections of policing and wider partnerships. Again, these generate recommendations on how police forces should operate.

Under the Police Act 1996 I have a responsibility to review these inspections and how they apply to Gwent Police. I then provide a statement back to HMICFRS and the Home Secretary with my views. I will publish these on my website.

In my commitment to increase transparency, I will regularly report on any scrutiny I have carried out. I will make as much of this available online as I can, so you can see what my team and I are doing.

Finally, I will also explore more opportunities for you to engage with my scrutiny, for example by using questions you send to me.

Children and young people charter

My plan has been designed to be applicable to adults, children and young people alike.

However, children’s voices are often lesser heard and overlooked. Therefore, I pledge to develop a comprehensive ‘children and young people’s charter’ for policing in Gwent in the first year of this plan.

The charter will be co-produced and developed with children from across Gwent. It will determine how my office and I work with children and young people and explore their experiences and expectations of Gwent Police.

It will include, but will not be limited to:

  • What child-centred policing practice should look like in Gwent
  • How Gwent Police should treat children and young people when interacting with them
  • Developing a ‘children first and offenders second’ approach
  • Combating myths around children, crime and antisocial behaviour
  • Engaging and interacting with me, my office and Gwent Police
  • Helping me to design and fund vital services for children and young people
  • Exploring with other agencies what youth service options are available

Partnerships to help deliver the plan

Tackling crime and antisocial behaviour is not just an ambition of policing alone.

Our partners in the public, private and third sectors share the same ambition. That’s why building and maintaining effective partnerships is crucial to improving the wider systems that can have an impact.

My role is uniquely placed to bring these partners together to improve outcomes for the people of Gwent. I will work with the following key partnerships to help deliver the goals within this plan.

Gwent Public Service Board

The Gwent Public Service Board (PSB) was established from the previous five local PSBs. It brings together executive level leaders from across core public and third sector agencies in Gwent. Its primary role is to develop a Wellbeing Plan under the Well-being of Future Generations Act.

The current plan contains four key ‘areas of
focus’:

  • Every child has the best start in life
  • Everyone lives in a place they feel safe
  • Everyone has the same economic chances
  • Everyone lives in a climate-ready community where their environment is valued and protected.

As a reserved service to the UK Government, I am not legally required to be a member but am formally invited. This does not prevent collaboration with partners on key issues relating to community safety and the priorities within the Police, Crime and Justice Plan. In partnership with the Chief Constable, we now co-lead the second priority: ‘everyone lives in a place they feel safe’. Delivering this will include establishing a new Gwent-wide partnership board, which I will chair.

This board will provide whole system leadership for building safer communities in Gwent. It will seek to solve those problems that the range of partnerships listed below cannot solve alone.

Community Safety Partnerships and Wales Safer Communities Board

There are five community safety partnerships (CSPs) in Gwent. Each works within local authority boundaries. CSPs bring agencies together to work to reduce crime, disorder and ASB at a local level. My office attends all of the CSPs and I contribute funding to them. I similarly fund local ‘community safety’ services that focus on crime prevention and other shared priorities.

I am also a co-chair of the Wales Safer Communities Board. This board provides leadership, oversight and direction on community safety matters across Wales. The board is supported by the Wales Safer Communities Network (WSCN), Data Analysis Innovation and Improvement Network (WDAIIN) and Wales Without Violence Prevention Board.

Gwent Criminal Justice Strategy Board and Criminal Justice Board for Wales

I am responsible for chairing the Gwent Criminal Justice Strategy Board.

This brings together local criminal justice agencies to provide a fair, efficient and effective criminal justice system across Gwent. One that prevents, reduces and responds to crime and anti-social behaviour, and focuses on the needs of victims and witnesses.

The board has aligned its priorities to the Criminal Justice Board for Wales (CJBfW) partnership, of which I am a member. This aims to solve relevant criminal justice problems experienced across Wales.

Gwent Safeguarding Board

The Gwent wide Adult Safeguarding Board (GwASB) and the South East Wales Safeguarding Children Board (SEWSCB) combine into the Gwent Safeguarding Board. The board makes sure safeguarding is at the core of all services provided across Gwent. Like other boards, my office represents me at the safeguarding board. There are times we take a leading role on issues, particularly when it’s connected to the Police, Crime and Justice Plan.

Serious Violence Duty and Wales Violence Prevention Unit

Introduced in 2023, the Serious Violence Duty places a legal duty on a range of community safety partners to prevent and reduce serious violence. Under the duty, I am required to bring these partners together to support and monitor their approach. A dedicated role in my office supports me with this through a partnership delivery group, whilst also supporting all community safety partnerships and oversees funding provided by the UK Government for this work. A new Wales Without Violence Prevention Board, managed by the Wales Violence Prevention Unit (VPU) is also beginning to play a role. The VPU carries out some activities that we benefit from in Gwent.

Gwent Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (VAWDASV) Board

I am represented by my office as an invited member at the Gwent VAWDASV Partnership Board. Similar to some of the partnerships above, I also fund a range of interventions and contribute resources in support of the board’s objectives. We also take a lead role on a number of matters.

Understandably, VAWDASV is a significant area of focus and concern for me, as reflected in this plan. I remain committed to ensuring that this partnership is as effective as it can be.

Gwent Area Planning Board

The Gwent Substance Misuse Area Planning Board (APB) delivers the Welsh Government Substance Misuse Strategy in Gwent. The APB manages the Gwent Drug and Alcohol Service, alongside its wider policy commitment to reduce alcohol and substance misuse.

I contribute a significant amount of funding to this service to support offenders to come off drugs and alcohol, where that has been a factor in their offending behaviour.

Third and Private Sectors

Finally, working in partnership does not just mean statutory partners. I am also committed to working closely and effectively with the third sector and private sector.

We hold the shared aims of reducing crime and antisocial behaviour and can work together to achieve these aims. In practice, this might mean engaging with businesses, retailers, charities, voluntary organisations, or providing crime prevention advice and support to them.

I also provide significant funding to the third sector to provide crime prevention and victim services. The Gwent Association of Voluntary Organisations (GAVO) and Torfaen Voluntary Alliance (TVA) carry out vital work within Gwent to support voluntary organisations.

I will continue to work with them to achieve the aims in this plan.

Policing in Wales

Accountability for policing sits with the UK Government, not Welsh Government (who remain a key partner). This creates complexity in Wales, due to two governments making decisions that could impact on policing services. The Policing in Wales Board helps to tackle this, by bringing together the four Commissioners and Chief Constables to discuss key issues. We will often agree a consistent approach to those unique challenges we face.

Through the Policing in Wales body, the four Commissioners and Chief Constables have committed to work together on a core of shared endeavours that will create lasting change for the people of Wales. For this term of office, we are committed to:

  • Working towards an anti-racist Wales, through the delivery of the Criminal Justice Anti-Racism Action Plan for Wales, seeking to actively identify and eradicate the systems, structures and processes that produce significantly different outcomes for ethnic minority individuals and groups.
  • Giving communities a voice by encouraging active citizen participation in scrutiny and oversight, seeking ways to amplify the voices of the most socially excluded people, and representing the views of the communities of Wales on UK matters.
  • Achieving value for money for our communities by collaborating on shared service arrangements where possible. Ensuring social value is promoted and considered with each arrangement.
  • Working together to achieve a Wales Without Violence by developing primary prevention and early intervention strategies to end violence among children and young people, and tackling all forms of violence against women and girls through a public health, whole-system approach.
  • Working towards delivering a traumainformed Wales by contributing to a societal approach to understanding, preventing and supporting the impacts of trauma and adversity.

Policing Partnership Board for Wales

The Policing Partnership Board for Wales is a further collaboration that brings together Welsh and UK Government representatives with the four Commissioners and Chief Constables. These meetings are vital to ensure regular communication, consistency and to help work through the added complexity facing police services in Wales.

Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC)

All Commissioners are members of the APCC, which:

  • Provides Information on national policing policy issues and legislation.
  • Facilitates the leadership of Commissioners on national governance structures (for example the College of Policing, National Crime Agency and other police professional bodies).
  • Consults Commissioners to enable them to develop policy positions and to influence change.
  • Provides a range of opportunities for members to come together to debate and discuss national policing and criminal justice policy and engage with senior stakeholders.
  • Assists Commissioners to share practice and identify ways to achieve efficiencies through collaboration.

Policing collaborations

The introduction of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 placed new duties on Commissioners and Chief Officers to collaborate where it is in the interests or effectiveness of their own and other police force areas. There are a range of collaborations that Gwent Police are involved in, which I will monitor on behalf of the people of Gwent. Although not all listed, the main ones are:

  • Southern Wales Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU), called Tarian, is the regional response to serious and organised cross-border crime. Launched by Dyfed-Powys Police, South Wales Police and Gwent Police, Tarian has been in operation for more than 10 years. It contributes considerably to our capacity to deal with such crime. It is resourced by officers from across the southern Welsh forces as well as other agencies, such as HM Revenue and Customs and the Crown Prosecution Service.
  • Counter Terrorism Policing Wales (CTPW) provides a single, unified Special Branch for the whole of Wales to respond to the threat of international terrorism and domestic extremism. CTPW helps make Wales safer by building confidence and trust in communities. It does this by working with the public and partners to identify, target and disrupt terrorists and extremists.
  • The Joint Firearms Unit has been established to provide a larger and more resilient pool of firearms expertise across Gwent, South Wales, and Dyfed Powys Police Forces. This partnership not only offers potential savings in the use of buildings but also generates savings in procurement and training. By making sure that officers are trained and deployed in the same way the force will provide an improved service.
  • The Joint Scientific Investigation Unit is shared by Gwent, South Wales and Dyfed Powys Police. It aims to increase capacity, resilience and the range of services offered to police officers and major crime teams. The Unit will also save millions of pounds in public money and provide a better service for victims of crime.
  • A new Collaboration Oversight Board has been established to enable Commissioners to scrutinise the work of the collaborations. This means I can ensure they are delivering outcomes for the people of Gwent, and we are getting value for money from the investments we put in.

Working with other organisations can bring benefits such as increased resilience and economies of scale. In light of the current financial challenges faced, the collaboration agenda is central in achieving the savings required with the priority being to provide the most efficient police service possible to the people of Gwent.

Funding this plan

For 2025/26 the net budget requirement to deliver all policing services in Gwent is £213.2m. This is funded by:

  • £86.5m from Gwent taxpayers through the council tax precept
  • £97.3m from Home Office and Welsh Government grants, and
  • £29.4m from other income and specific grants

Of this, I will allocate £204.9m (96%) to the Chief Constable to deliver operational policing and support delivery of this plan. The remainder will fund my office and the crime prevention and victim services I invest in.

In total, 74% of the budget funds the 1,506 police officers, 153 PCSOs, and 826 support staff that make up Gwent Police and my office. The remaining 26% funds contracted supplies and services and associated maintenance programmes.

This covers things like maintaining the estate, fleet, technology, equipment, supplies and services that policing needs to deliver an efficient and effective service. This also includes £250k per year investment to jointly play our part to decarbonise the service and achieve Net Zero targets.

The budget I have set aside to carry out my duties is £8.3m. This includes £1.6m to run my office and deliver my statutory functions. A further £6.7m is used to commission services and fund interventions that support this plan.

Within this I have set aside £1m per year to invest in new initiatives that support delivery of the plan. This means I can go even further to deliver services to the people and communities who need them most. This will include investment in improving the social cohesion of our communities as part of my new Strategic Equality Plan.

I am also pleased that included this year is a grant of £1m from the UK Government to enable Gwent Police and local authority partners to provide more visible patrols in antisocial behaviour hotspot areas. We used the same funding last year to trial this approach and will look to build uponthis in the coming year.

The UK Government’s new Neighbourhood PolicingGuarantee will also provide £2.1m to increase capacity in the neighbourhood police teams. I look forward to working with the Chief Constable to use this funding to boost visible policing that provides vital reassurance to our communities.

Current projections estimate that by the end of this plan, the budget I will need to maintain the level of service above will be about £240m, which is more than the projected income. Since 2010/11, policing in Gwent has already had a real-terms reduction in budget of 19.2% when taking into account inflation and wage increases. However, between Gwent Police and my office, we have a strong track record of delivering efficiencies in running costs, capital spend and by collaborating with other forces.

I am confident that, together, the Chief Constable and I will continue to deliver a sustainable budget that provides high quality policing, crime prevention and victim services for the communities of Gwent.

Commissioning services

Alongside delivering an efficient and effective policing service, Commissioners also have a broader remit to cut crime and disorder, and we have been given extra powers and funding to enable us to do this.

I am proud of the services I fund and the positive impact they have on the individuals and communities of Gwent and Gwent Police, and I want to continue and build upon this good work to go even further. As stated above, for 2025/26, my total budget to commission and fund services that contribute to the priorities in this Plan is £6.7m.

I am grateful that 40% of this comes from grants provided by UK and Welsh Governments. I also use money seized from criminals through the Proceeds of Crime Act to reinvest back into the communities of Gwent. The remainder comes from my core budget. My office and Gwent Police have historically had good success in securing additional grants and I will continue to try and secure additional funding whenever possible.

Some of the government grants I receive are ring-fenced for specific requirements, such as victim services. However, there is still lots of flexibility in how I use that funding, and I can award grants to any organisation or body that can help to deliver my priorities. This can include Gwent Police or my other partners in the private, third and statutory sectors. The objectives in this Plan will primarily inform my decisions on what funding I make available to police and partners, but I will always consider evidence of community needs and the views of Gwent Police and wider partners.

Some of my specific objectives for future funding will be to divert children and offenders from crime, increase crime prevention and community safety, tackle substance misuse, stalking, and offer new victim services. I also want to invest in improving outcomes for lesser heard communities through my Strategic Equality Plan. But this is not an exhaustive list. I will also make funding available more broadly to
communities, partners and charities by offering community grants.

In the first year of this plan I will determine what grants to make available to support grassroots projects and other interventions in the community that contribute to the delivery of my priorities.

With all the services that I fund, I am committed to ensuring that they deliver quality outcomes and value for money. That is why I will always ensure that robust governance, monitoring and scrutiny processes are in place to manage this, including a Commissioning Board, chaired by my Chief Finance Officer.

However, I will be investing in improving performance and monitoring methods throughout my time in office. Every year, I will also review my arrangements through a commissioning intentions document.

This provides details on the totality of my commissioning and where I intend to make changes to what I fund and why.

Community engagement

My office and I engage extensively with communities throughout Gwent.

Good engagement and effective communications are essential to ensuring that the public and other stakeholders have an effective say in how their communities are policed.

I need your support too, as your feedback helps me hold the Chief Constable to account for the performance of local policing services.

Our communication and engagement will align with the goals of promoting public safety, building trust, and fostering community involvement, particularly regarding seldom-heard residents.

Specifically, I will:

  • Raise awareness of the role and responsibilities of the Commissioner and the OPCC among Gwent communities.
  • Build and maintain trust in the OPCC by providing transparent and timely communication about policing initiatives, policies, and performance, and the Commissioner’s role in continually holding the Chief Constable to account.
  • Ensure meaningful engagement with the public, key stakeholders, and wider partners to gather feedback, address concerns, and collaborate public service strategies.
  • Communicate the OPCC’s commitment to accountability and scrutiny, highlighting efforts to oversee police activities, address misconduct, and promote ethical standards.

Volunteering opportunities 

I currently have two volunteer schemes made up of volunteers from across the communities of Gwent.

My volunteers play an important role in helping to deliver this plan. They support me to scrutinise some of the work of Gwent Police and ensure they carry out their duties as expected. This independent assurance provides me with another way to improve transparency and accountability and help to improve trust and confidence.

It’s important to me that my volunteers represent the communities we serve and I am extremely grateful for their contribution and commitment.

All volunteers are supported by a dedicated coordinator in my office to ensure they have the right training, expenses and support for their work.

I will be looking to build on these schemes during my time as Commissioner. For example, I want to explore opportunities to bring more community representation onto some of my scrutiny panels, to improve the independent assurance I receive.

Independent Custody Visitors (ICVs)

The purpose of this scheme is to enable members of the local community to observe, comment and report on the conditions under which persons are detained at police stations. ICVs conduct unannounced visits to custody units, at any time of the day or night, to ensure the rights and entitlements of detainees are being met. They check that they are being treated fairly and appropriately and scrutinise their police custody records.

Reports from these visits are given to me and Gwent Police, to enable us to monitor custody arrangements. Gwent Police recently had a custody inspection by HMICFRS, and so the work of the ICVs is crucial to ensure the areas for improvement identified by the inspectorate are being implemented.

Animal Welfare Scheme

This scheme was introduced to increase public confidence in police dog housing,
handling and training methods.

Animal Welfare Visitors visit and observe the conditions in which Gwent Police dogs are kennelled, trained and transported. They report back and provide assurance to me that police dogs are being cared for, trained and deployed humanely, ethically and transparently. I will then act on this information if this is found not to be the case. 

Contact your commissioner 

As I stated in my foreword, delivering this Police, Crime and Justice Plan is one of the most important requirements of my role and a responsibility I do not take lightly.

The plan provides the strategic direction for Gwent Police and my office and is focused on delivering better
outcomes for the many and varied communities across
Gwent.

I have listened to a wide range of views to help me set my priorities, and I will hold the Chief Constable and my office to account for delivering against them.

But it is also wider than that. This plan sets out my commitment to work with partners in the public, private and third sectors.

It demonstrates my ambition to provide more and better services for the community. And most importantly it shows how I will engage with you, the public.

I intend for this to be a living document, that I will review and refresh it annually.

Should you need to contact me about any matters within the plan, or about Gwent Police and the services I fund more generally, then please make contact through the details on this page.

Contact your Police and Crime Commissioner

Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner,
Police Headquarters, Llantarnam, Cwmbran,
Torfaen, NP44 3FW
01633 642200
commissioner@gwent.police.uk
Social media channels @gwentpcc