Police and Crime Commissioner invests for a safer winter

Police and Crime Commissioner Jane Mudd has invested £50,000 into Gwent’s Community Safety Partnerships to increase safety patrols, engage with businesses, and provide activities for children and young people this winter.

The funding supports the work of Gwent Police, which has stepped up patrols across the region to tackle seasonal crime in town centres and retail parks.

It forms part of the Home Office’s Winter of Action and builds on the Safer Streets Summer initiative, which resulted in more than 16,000 arrests and fines across the UK for crimes such as shoplifting and anti-social behaviour.

Police and Crime Commissioner Jane Mudd said: “This is a very busy period for our town centres and retail parks, and it is essential that we work together with partners to protect businesses and their staff, while also keeping our residents safe.

“By the police, local authorities and other partners working more closely together to focus on hotspot areas, we can send a clear message that this behaviour will not be tolerated in our communities and ensure that our residents can enjoy a safer Christmas and New Year.”

As part of the campaign, Gwent Police is encouraging residents to sign up to Neighbourhood Matters, a new portal that allows people to receive updates on issues in their area and report intelligence to the police.

Gwent Police’s neighbourhood policing lead, Chief Superintendent Jason White, said: “The recent introduction of a new community messaging service – Neighbourhood Matters – is helping to improve our knowledge of local issues and ensure our teams are where residents need us most, while the delivery of a crime prevention programme is helping residents and businesspeople alike protect themselves from acquisitive crimes such as burglary and theft.”

For more on Gwent Police’s work across the festive period, keep an eye on social media accounts for #OpSouthPole or visit: www.gwentneighbourhoodmatters.co.uk