30 minutes is allocated for questions to the Gwent Police representative.
Minutes:
The Presiding Member introduced Chief Superintendent Dr Carl Williams of Gwent Police, who provided council members with an update on police issues within East, West, and Central Newport.
The Presiding Member invited the Leader to address Chief Superintendent Dr Williams.
The Leader mentioned the potential challenges in communities over the summer holidays and confirmed that there were diversionary activities underway with partner agencies. The Leader asked for assurances from the police that the concerns of citizens would be acted upon, regarding the reporting and tackling of fires, and that the police would be working closely with South Wales Fire Service.
The Chief Superintendent agreed that this is a challenge, and fires were more likely to occur when land was dry. The Chief Superintendent considered that this is also an educational exercise in order to make sure people are aware of the risks. The police are working with South Wales Fire Service and will act on any intelligence received. The Chief Superintendent assured the Council that residents can call anonymously through Crimestoppers.
Questions to the Police raised by Councillors:
§ Councillor Evans referred to the use of e-bikes, quad bikes on roads. Councillor Evans had witnessed these proceeding through two sets of red lights and speeding on Queensway. Councillor Evans said he observed that there was a police van on the opposite side of the road that did not appear to take any action. Councillor Evans went on to say that he appreciated the sensitivities around this, and asked if the Chief Superintendent could explain why it was not as easy to stop these bikes in some cases. The Chief Superintendent agreed that it was not as simple as stopping a car or other licensed vehicles. The Chief Superintendent added that whilst the police had to act proportionately, this did not excuse people to break the law. The Chief Superintendent went on to say that there are specialist trained officers to deal with these matters and whilst residents may not see police pursuing a vehicle, there are specific operations in place. The police take the strongest preventative approach to seize the vehicles and prevent these vehicles from being on the road in the first place.
§ Councillor Harvey referred to additional CSOs coming to Always Ward and asked when there would be more police officers, as CSOs did not have the same powers as police officers. The Chief Superintendent felt it was important to have the right mix of staff in terms of CSOs and police officers to support the community. Police regularly look at the demand and deploy staff appropriately. This includes traffic police, armed response officers and dog teams.
§ Councillor Lacey mentioned that as LGBTQ+ Champion she had some concerns raised by the community. Councillor Lacey asked if information could be provided on measures taken by the police to ensure that the LGBTQ+ community feel safe, and how Gwent Police addressed online harassment. The Chief Superintendent said that he was Chair of the LGBTQ+ network and it was crucial to allow people to be themselves without prejudice. The police have looked at this element of hate crime and provided specialist officers to support victims. The Chief Superintendent went on to say that an officer with specialist training would automatically be allocated to provide support, guidance, and signposting. School liaison officers in education also go into schools to talk about equalities, inclusion, and diversity training. The Chief Superintendent said that cyber/online report is taken seriously, and specialist teams can trace who has written online posts in order to take appropriate action.
§ Councillor Mogford referred to the use of e-bikes and e-scooters along the SDR towards Spytty and queried whether the perception held by the public that police are not making an impact could be changed by promoting successes in tackling this. The Chief Superintendent agreed that promotion was key; this is done via Twitter and more could be done in terms of the newsletter for Council to make sure that everyone was informed about police action. For example, the police are working closely with government and retailers concerning their corporate responsibility regarding illegal sales of goods. The Chief Superintendent took on board the comments and would take back to the communication team.
§ Councillor Adan referred to the recent activation of speed cameras along the SDR and asked how ‘Go Safe’ communicated to the public about these changes. The Chief Superintendent considered that success was catching zero people with cameras because it means that people are driving within the limits. The Chief Superintendent felt that the police are transparent about this, and speed camera signs are in areas where speed cameras are used as a preventative measure. There have been significant deaths on roads across Wales and the UK and the police make no apologies in putting out speed camera vans in Newport to combat one of the top five causes of collisions and fatalities. The Chief Superintendent went on to say that the police provide speed cameras and vans in places where there are significant public reports of speeding, or where there have been deaths or serious injuries.
§ Councillor Reeks mentioned recent thefts from cars overnight in the Rogerstone area and asked for an update on this and potential increases in police patrols. Also, a pedestrian was recently hospitalised due to a cyclist crashing into them at speed in the city centre; Councillor Reeks asked about the powers the police have to limit the speed of cyclists in pedestrian areas. The Chief Superintendent mentioned that cyclists are subject to speed limits and can be issued with fines, however they do not receive points like motorists. Regarding the spate of car thefts, the Chief Superintendent reported a downward trend in June to July and confirmed an arrest had been made considering the incident in Rogerstone.
§ Councillor Morris referred to the figures in relation to the high number of calls the police are receiving, which he considered to be a huge number of calls for a small force. Councillor Morris asked what the current serving numbers of police officer are in comparison to numbers of 10 years ago and whether the police are recruiting to increase this. The Chief Superintendent was pleased to say that the UK-wide initiative, Operation Uplift was adding 20,000 additional officers to the service. Whilst the Chief Superintendent could not give exact figures, police in Gwent would move to a position of more than 1,500 officers soon. The Chief Superintendent considered that there are positive benefits of young officers joining the service and Gwent is one of the youngest workforces: these inexperienced officers will receive the best training and nurturing to provide an excellent service for residents of Gwent.
§ Councillor Marshall remarked upon noisy vehicles, revving in the night, disrupting residents along the SDR. Secondly, in relation to Party in The Park, the additional number of cars parked in and around the residential area caused issues regarding access. In one case, an ambulance was not able to access St Brides Crescent to attend to a resident. Councillor Marshall asked whether extra patrolling would be put in place for these events to prevent this happening in the future. Finally, Councillor Marshall congratulated the Chief Superintendent for making the Pink List. The Chief Superintendent thanked Councillor Marshall. The Chief Superintendent confirmed that the information relating to the SDR Road would be passed on to traffic police officers as a priority. In terms of the dangerous parking, basic ticketing was a matter for the Council, but this was unacceptable in terms of the ambulance, and this would be factored into future planning.