Message to our communities

A message to our communities from Chief Superintendent Leanne Brustad: 

“We know that disorder across the UK in the past few days has left members of our communities feeling concerned. 

“Our responsibility is to keep our communities safe and we’ve prepared accordingly should anything happen in our area. We are monitoring information at a local and national level around possible disruption and will continue to have a robust policing response in place to tackle possible disorder.  

“Our officers are on patrol to provide a visible presence in our communities, particularly among those who are feeling vulnerable at this time.  We continue to support our communities and are in regular conversations to offer advice, listen to their concerns and keep everyone safe. 

“We are aware of speculation on social media and we would like to be clear that there is no information to corroborate any planned disorder in our area at this time. 

“I would urge people to please think twice about what you read, share and believe from online sources. There are a lot of motivations for why people may be sharing information so be critical and if in doubt, look to trusted voices such as the police and community leaders. 

“We stand with our communities against division and hatred.

“If you have any information regarding pre-planned disorder or criminal behaviour, please let us know via our website, by calling 101 or direct messaging us on our Facebook or X pages, so that we can take action. 

Alternatively, you can report it to Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.” 

Statement of support for our diverse communities from Gwent Police’s Independent Advisory Group  

As Gwent Police’s Independent Advisory Group (IAG), our role is to act as a critical friend to Gwent Police and ensure that diverse community voices are heard. 

Over the past week, our representatives have attended community meetings with Gwent Police senior officers, community leaders and our partners in local authorities. During these meetings, we have heard the concern and fear shared by people across Gwent, especially from those whose communities have been targeted elsewhere in the UK: our Muslim community, Black and Asian people, refugees, migrants and asylum seekers.  We have also heard and been encouraged by the proactive work of Gwent Police in meeting with our different communities, increasing patrols in vulnerable areas and responding to our concerns. 

We strongly support Gwent Police’s statement that division and hatred have no place in Gwent, and we condemn the racism and islamophobia shown in the events of recent days.  

We understand how worried many of you have been this week but would encourage you to keep going with your daily lives. Currently, there is no information confirming any planned disorder in Gwent. Please look to trusted voices such as Gwent Police’s social media and your community leaders, as they are being kept updated by Gwent Police on a regular basis.   

We encourage all our communities to support one another and report any information you may have on pre-planned disorder to Gwent Police. If you experience a hate crime, please report it so that you can access support – you can report it to Gwent Police or to Connect Gwent: 

Tel: 03001232133 

Email: [email protected] 

Website: Connect Gwent 

(Connect Gwent operate 8am-6pm Monday-Thursdays, and Fridays 8am-5pm).