30 minutes is allocated for questions to the Gwent Police representative.
Minutes:
The Presiding Member introduced Superintendent J White 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 Superintendent White.
The Leader welcomed Superintendent White’s feedback on acquisitive theft, which was a positive outcome for shop owners.
There was concern raised by residents and ward councillors regarding the crossing outside the school on Almond Drive. Could the police add this to their patrols and provide more police presence.
The Superintendent would raise this with Inspector Welty and would make sure that maximised efforts were in place going forward.
Questions to the Police raised by Councillors:
§ Councillor Morris asked if there was a definitive guide on what was allowable concerning parking on pavements. The Superintendent advised that the pavement formed part of the highway and if the car straddled the pavement and road where there are double yellow lines, then the Local Authority was responsible for enforcing penalties. If, however, the vehicle was causing an unnecessary obstruction or harm by parking in a dangerous position this could be dealt with by the Police. The Superintendent was happy to discuss in further detail outside of the meeting.
§ Councillor Al-Nuaimi paid tribute to Inspector for the city centre, Richard Shapland who kept Stow Hill ward members informed on the incidents in relation to shoplifting and the recent cannabis seizure. Inspector Shapland had also attended a recent ward meeting. The Superintendent thanked Councillor Al-Nuaimi for raising this and would convey his thanks to the Inspector.
§ Councillor James referred to drug dealing on Wheeler Street, residents raised concerns regarding needles found outside residents front doors. Councillor James said residents had raised this with Shaftesbury ward members and police for six months. The Superintendent confirmed that Inspector Welty had returned to that area which would strengthen the support in Shaftesbury. The Superintendent also encouraged residents to link in with local community support officers and report issues as the police appreciated the importance of community led intelligence. The Superintendent said that he would contact Inspector Welty and this would be acted upon.
§ The Presiding Member was pleased that Inspector Welty was coming back to Shaftesbury and also wanted to pass on his thanks on behalf of residents. The Superintendent mentioned that positive outcomes were measured by performance and that Inspector Welty would be contacted to link in with Councillor James.
Councillor Hourahine mentioned that the Superintendent’s predecessor talked about new initiatives coming into Newport regarding off road bikes. Councillor Hourahine asked if the Superintendent could look into what could be done regarding a pro-active response from police. The Superintendent highlighted that the most important action was prevention of sales of these bikes, and this needed to be addressed with better legislation. It was a nationwide issue and Inspector Giles was the force lead in seizing bikes in Newport, with far more seizures than anywhere else. This is an ongoing challenge and as well as prevention, it was also about using proportionate tactics and there would be more activity in the coming weeks.