Gwent Police recognised at Safer Communities Wales Awards

Gwent Police officers have claimed three first place awards at the Safer Communities Wales Awards.

The force was recognised for its work to tackle serious and organised crime, encourage responsible dog ownership, and its innovative work to address anti-social behaviour in Blaenau Gwent.

The annual award ceremony sees the Welsh police forces come together with local authorities, fire and health to recognise good practice and partnership approaches to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour.

Police and Crime Commissioner Jane Mudd said: “I was delighted to be able to attend the award ceremony and hear about the fantastic work taking place across Wales to address crime and anti-social behaviour in communities.

“Of course, I was particularly proud to see Gwent Police take three first place awards, and would like to congratulate all of the officers and staff responsible for these schemes for their hard work, and dedication to making Gwent a safer place.

“The award ceremony is an opportunity to share good practice and innovative ideas, and is one of the ways we are working across Wales to deliver for our communities.”

Gwent Police received won first place in the following categories:

• Public safety. For the LEAD initiative which stands for Local Environmental Awareness on Dogs. LEAD was launched in Caerphilly in 2023, before being adopted the Gwent’s other authorities earlier this year. The scheme promotes responsible dog ownership, with a clear path of enforcement for irresponsible owners.
• Organised crime. For its contribution in tackling organised crime. Over the last seven months, the team have made 112 arrests, seized over £300,000, 160 mobile phones, and 2.2kg of class A drugs.
• Anti-social behaviour. For the innovative practice of the Blaenau Gwent anti-social behaviour task force to tackle criminal and anti-social behaviours, which prevented escalation and re-occurrence.