Inspector’s blog, June 2022: Inspector Boucher, Caerphilly central

This will be my last blog as your neighbourhood policing inspector for Blackwood and Risca, as I move to a new role in the force next week.

I’d like to thank our communities for the fantastic support they’ve shown their neighbourhood officers over the last few years. We’ve faced some unprecedented challenges and are grateful for the way the public looked out for one another during the pandemic, for the continued sharing of vital information around crime and disorder and for getting involved in community meetings and volunteer groups – all of this goes a long way in increasing safety and making our area a great place in which to live and work.

I’ll be succeeded by Inspector Oliver Petty, who joins us in Blackwood in his first inspector role having worked in the Caerphilly borough for most of his service. I wish him the best of luck in his new role.

Before then, however, I’d like to provide some updates on some of the work we’ve carried out recently and the projects we’ve got coming up over the summer.

Anti-social behaviour (ASB) | raising awareness and keeping our communities safe

Anti-social behaviour (ASB) is never acceptable: it negatively impacts on the quality of life for those living in the area and will not be tolerated by Gwent Police.

Over the latter weeks of spring, we saw an increase in reports of ASB in Newbridge and Crosskeys – particularly near the train stations.

We’ve been working hard with British Transport Police (BTP) and community safety partners to identify those responsible, increased patrols in affected areas and, positively, seen a decrease in reports over the last month.

We tackle ASB in a number of ways – from arresting those we suspect to have committed public order offences to issuing anti-social behaviour injunctions; we work with youth outreach partners to engage with young people and impress upon them the impact their actions can have on their neighbours and more – and continue to work with local schools and our Town Safe partners to increase awareness and safety.

This work with local schools and partners will continue in the coming months and, during July, we’ll be hosting a range of events throughout anti-social behaviour awareness week (18 – 24 July), including sports activities and an open session with our dog section and roads policing team – where the public can learn more about policing.

Keep an eye on our Twitter account (@GPCaerphilly) for more information around these events.

Tackling acquisitive crimes like theft and burglary

Owing to some fantastic work Caerphilly officers, some crucial investigations and preventive activity, reports of acquisitive crimes like burglary have fallen significantly this year.

Despite this, we did see a number of burglaries reported in commercial premises between January and March, where fuel and other items were stolen.

Your local officers led a thorough investigation into the thefts, using area searches, community engagement and covert assets to inform their work.
A 29-year-old man from Crosskeys was arrested on suspicion of burglary following this work and was later sentenced to six months imprisonment and given a criminal behaviour order (CBO); this order sets out several restrictions, including what areas of the borough he may enter, and will come into effect when he’s released from prison.

For more on our work to crack down on acquisitive crime in Gwent, and for information around protecting your valuable items, visit https://www.gwent.police.uk/police-forces/gwent-police/areas/campaigns/campaigns/2021/we-dont-buy-crime/.

Working with South Wales Fire and Rescue Service | grass fires

As the warmer weather continues, we continue to work with our emergency service partners in South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (SWFRS) to talk to local communities about the risks posed by grass fires.

We live in a beautiful part of Gwent, surrounded by greenery, but the warmer weather and summer months can sometimes see a rise in reported grass fires.

Whether started accidentally (by not extinguishing barbeques/camp fires properly, for example) or deliberately, they can spread quickly and prove a real risk to the surrounding environment and wildlife. That’s why we work with SWFRS to carry out patrols in areas which have previously been affected by grass fires and deliver lessons in schools to raise awareness and highlight the dangers of fire-setting.

Pressing stop | preventing unlicensed music events (raves)

I’ve recently been working with Natural Resources Wales and Caerphilly County Borough Council to discuss preventative measures to stop harmful unlicensed music events/raves in the borough.

Raves can cause a great deal of disruption to local communities, carry risks for those attending and lead to extensive damage to the environment.

We’re committed to protecting our communities from the harmful effects these unlawful events can have and continue to gather information, carry out patrols and work with partners to prevent them from taking place.