Joint patrols keeping county safe
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The first jointly tasked officer patrols took place on Friday 13 November.
Gwent Police and Monmouthshire County Council have collaborated on a joint venture to help keep the public safe during the ongoing health crisis across the entire county area.
For the past month, since the end of the firebreak lockdown, jointly tasked officers from the police and the council have ensured that communities and licensed premises across Monmouthshire are complying with the regulations.
Many hospitality venues in Monmouthshire, such as bars, pubs and restaurants, have reopened under new guidance in line with the Welsh Government’s guidelines.
Patrols have taken place in Abergavenny, Caldicot, Chepstow and Monmouth, including compliance checks at hospitality premises, to remind businesses, the public and workers of the relevant guidelines.
Inspector Nikki Hughes said:
“Since the start of the health crisis, we’ve been working with our local authority partners to protect and reassure the communities of Gwent.
“As part of these joint patrols, our officers – working in unison with the council - engaged with communities to reiterate the safety messages designed to keep Wales safe and slow down the spread of the virus.
“As we head into the pre-Christmas period, we’ll be carrying out further joint proactive patrols across our force area ensuring that everyone is playing their part and taking on their personal responsibility.
“Officers will be continuing to engage and encourage everyone to do all that they can. However, our message is clear for the minority that flout the new restrictions - we will take enforcement action.”
David Jones, head of public protection at Monmouthshire County Council added:
“Officers within our public protection team deliver the local ‘Track and Trace’ service for Monmouthshire.
“So, we know exactly where Covid-19 is more prevalent. We can use this local intelligence to target our joint resources most efficiently to protect the wider public.
“If everyone complies with the latest rules, we can reduce person-to-person spread effectively within our local communities.”