Inspector's blog | Newport East | December 2023

Hello all,

It’s been a busy few months in Newport East, and hopefully this instalment of the neighbourhood blog will give a glimpse into some of the hard work carried out by our officers and partner agencies to tackle the issues that matter to you most.

Here are some examples of our recent activity and results.

Multi-agency operations

We ran a multi-agency road operation in mid-November to ensure those using our roads do in safe and lawful manner.

The operation was designed to identify road users who put others at risk – either by driving illegally or by driving vehicles not up to a safe standard – and took place in the Langstone and Llanwern wards and focused on waste carriers, fly tippers and road traders.

During the operation, three traffic offence reports (TOR) were issued, one vehicle seized, five Section 34 notices were issued by environmental health and one trading standards referral for possible rogue trader and welfare check for the client.

Proactive policing operations like this are just one of the ways in which we address road safety issues. I hope the results, included below, send a clear message that those not maintaining the condition of their vehicle or driving responsibly are not only put themselves at risk but others too which is completely unacceptable, and they will be dealt with robustly.

• 1 x TOR for overweight load,
• 1 x TOR for two bald tyres,
• 1 x TOR for no seatbelt,
• 5 x Section 34 notices issued by environmental health,
• 1 x trading standards referral for possible rogue trader (welfare check also done on client),
• 1 x reported for no duty of care with load by Natural Resources Wales,
• 1 x seized for defective vehicle,
• 1 x prohibited to leave due to weight by Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA),
• 1 x prohibited to leave and prosecuted due to weight by VOSA.

E-bikes

We understand that e-bikes are a growing concern for our communities, and we receive hundreds of reports on the use of these illegal vehicles and anti-social driving. We take these reports very seriously and on Wednesday 15th November,  a 25-year-old man was arrested overnight for dangerous riding after being seen riding an off-road bike in a dangerous manner on the SDR near Ringland. With the help of the National Police Air Service (NPAS), he was tracked to an address, arrested and the bike seized. He was later reported for traffic offences. 

You may have seen our latest enforcement operation into the use of illegal bikes on ITV Wales. They joined us on Operation Harley where officers from the neighbourhood team, supported by our roads policing and specialist operations (RPSO officers) and others, tackles the issue of electric off-road bikes. During the operation, a 20-year-old man from Newport was arrested on suspicion of Possession with intent to supply controlled drugs and the bike was seized. He has subsequently been charged with this offence.

Theft and shoplifting

We had a spate of reports of push bike and scooter thefts in the area and on Thursday 23 November officers arrested a 15-year-old youth from Alway in connection with the thefts. He has since been released on bail while officers continue to carry out enquires. Anyone with information can call 101 or DM us on social media quote log reference 2300398999.

We also arrested a prolific shoplifter, a 53-year-old man from Liswerry who was known target Tesco Extra and Aldi. They have since been charged and remanded into custody.  He has since pleaded guilty and was issued with a community order and ordered to pay compensation.

Theft, and particularly shoplifting, is not a victimless crime and can have a real impact on our communities, in particular businesses and those living here.

We’re taking positive steps to reduce acquisitive crime from targeting repeat offenders to initiatives like We Don’t Buy Crime, which also works closely with local businesses.

Drug warrants

We’ve carried out three warrants over the past two months, the first in Corporation Road where we seized a quantity of class A drugs and arrested a 38-year-old man on suspicion of multiple drug offences and money laundering. The second warrant was in at The Albert Public House.  Multiple arrests were made and one man, a 22-year-old, was charged and remanded into custody. Another warrant was executed in Oakley Street where several cannabis plants were seized and a male arrested.

As well as carrying out warrants, officers arrested a 31-year-old man in connection with drug supply offences in the Old Barn Estate. The man was riding an illegal e-bike and found with a quantity of class A drugs, He has since been charged and his e-bike seized.  Another man, aged 20 , was arrested, charged and remanded for supplying drugs this time in the Beechwood area and enquiries are ongoing to locate other members of this group.

We’re committed to tackle illegal drugs in our community but need your help - if you have concerns about drug dealing in your area, please call us on 101 or 999 in an emergency. Alternatively, Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Anti-social behaviour (ASB)

We have been having our usual meetings with partners to try and resolve some longer-term issue and are focusing our efforts on the rise in ASB and thefts in Spytty Retail Park where eight ASB letters have been sent to parents and two Community Protection Warnings (CPWs) have been issued.

We have also met with Newport City Homes to address concerns in Broadmead Park and have seen improvements in this area following discussions. We are working on the issues in Marshfield Street and have a issued a Community Protection Warning and ASB letters to seven parents relating to their children while four letters have been sent to parents following concerns in Milton Court.

We are investigating the damage to vehicles in Ringland and enquiries are progressing. Anyone with information is asked to call 101 or DM us on social media quoting log reference 2300385736.

Finally, I’d like to thank our officers, partners and the community for their hard work over the past year and wish you all a wonderful and restful Christmas.

Inspector Roland Giles.