New policing team to tackle crime and ASB in Gwent

Gwent Police has launched a new community action team to work with its neighbourhood officers and tackle crime and anti-social behaviour hot spots.

The team is made up of 16 PCs and 10 PCSOs and 16 PCs, led by two team sergeants and over seen by a dedicated inspector.

They will focus on crime and antisocial behaviour particularly related to illegal off-road bikes, drugs and vehicle crime.

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.”

The team is led by inspector Laura Padget.

She 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."