New proactive policing team to tackle ASB in Gwent

Gwent Police's Community Action Team is working alongside neighbourhood officers to combat anti-social behaviour related to illegal off-road bikes, drugs and vehicle crime.

A new team of neighbourhood police officers is working to tackle anti-social behaviour and vehicle crime in hotspot areas in Gwent.

Gwent Police's Community Action Team, who paraded from Cwmbran police station for their first shift on Monday 9 June, is working with existing neighbourhood teams across Blaenau Gwent, Newport, Torfaen and Caerphilly.

The team is made up of 10 experienced PCSOs and 16 proactive PCs, led by two team sergeants and Inspector Laura Paget.

Officers are working collaboratively with neighbourhood teams to tackle hotspot areas and provide increased visible policing in communities across Gwent.

Inspector Laura Paget said:

"Neighbourhood policing is all about being proactive, solving local problems and making sure we’re at the very heart of, and engaging with, the communities we serve.

"Whether it's investigating the use of off-road vehicles in Alway or tackling ASB in Cwmbran, over the next four months officers will be working in the areas we've identified as being affected most by ASB and acquisitive vehicle crime.

"The public have the right to feel safe in their neighbourhoods, and we've all got a shared commitment to increasing safety, trust in our services and building strong relationships with the public.

"Through our proactive approach, since we formed on 9 June we’ve made over 20 arrests for incidents relating to drug supply, road or driving offences, possession of weapons or violent crime, while we’ve also seized around 21 vehicles that have either been connected to reports of ant-social off-road driving or road traffic offences.

"The teams will also continue our work with community safety partnerships in each local authority area to build on the good work already taking place to make our neighbourhoods safer."

Police and Crime Commissioner Jane Mudd said:

“Chief Constable Mark Hobrough and I are united in our commitment to increase visible policing in our communities. This is what our residents have told us they want and that is why it forms a key part of my Police, Crime and Justice Plan.

“The Community Action Team will provide the Chief Constable with the extra resilience to put more officers on the ground in the areas that need them most, and I look forward to seeing the results of this work in the coming weeks.”

Caerphilly County Borough Council is providing funding to secure additional resources within its area to help tackle crime and anti-social behaviour. Town centres across the county borough will be a key focus, with Blackwood being the first area to benefit from the new Community Action Team approach.

Leader of the Council, Cllr Sean Morgan, said:

“We very much welcome the launch of this new initiative. It enables Council services and Police services to be more closely aligned and provides additional reassurance to our residents. CCBC is in a unique position thanks to our financial support to the new team, which demonstrates our continuing commitment to target crime and anti-social behaviour by working in close partnership with Gwent Police. I look forward to seeing the benefits of this collaborative approach going forward.”