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Jane Mudd is the police and crime commissioner for Gwent. She represents Labour.

I am pleased and reassured to see that the multiagency approach to tackling antisocial behaviour in Blackwood is showing early signs of success.

Since January, Gwent Police have increased their patrols in the town, put dispersal orders in place when necessary, and have made several arrests. Caerphilly County Borough Council’s community safety wardens are also regularly monitoring the area.

Reports of antisocial behaviour are down which is positive, and I hope we see the decline in problematic behaviour continue. I will be discussing these and other issues when I meet with Blackwood Community Council next week.

Antisocial behaviour is nothing new, but we cannot continue to treat incidents, like the ones we have seen in Blackwood recently, with a temporary sticking plaster.

We need investment in schemes that can provide early intervention and support for the children and young people involved before their behaviours escalate into more serious crime.

At a time when all public services are facing significant financial challenges, this is easier said than done – but I am committed to doing what I can to address this issue in Gwent. Tackling antisocial behaviour will form an important pillar of my new Police and Crime Plan, and I will invest in services to support this work.

However, we all have a role to play here. I would urge parents, guardians and carers to talk to children and young people about these issues, help them to understand the damage that antisocial behaviour can do to communities, but also the damage they risk doing to their own futures by engaging in such activities.

Open and honest conversations are key to breaking down barriers and building understanding and trust between different generations and community groups. That’s why I am really interested in the work taking place at The Talking Shop, which is located just down from Blackwood bus station on Market Place.

It is a safe environment to stop, chat, have a cup of tea, take part in a variety of creative activities for free and find out what is going on in the local area. Trained facilitators encourage conversation, and everyone is welcome.

I have contributed a small amount of funding to pilot taking this concept onto the road as a way of addressing issues in communities across Gwent, and I look forward to seeing how this develops. In the meantime, I would encourage everyone to pop in and see what’s on offer.

I also met with Bargoed Community Council recently and one of the issues we discussed was the ongoing problem of off-road bikes, so I was pleased to see two quad bikes seized last week after residents reported them being ridden dangerously across Gelligaer Common.

Illegal off-roading is a very difficult issue to tackle but, working with partners in the local authority and commoners associations, Gwent Police is making progress and we are seeing increasing numbers of illegal off-road vehicles seized.

The police rely on information to be able to act, so if you do see illegal off-roading taking place, please report it via 101 or online.