Gwent’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Jeff Cuthbert, pictured left, has set out preliminary plans for his vision of policing and crime prevention in the community.
In an unprecedented move, Mr Cuthbert has released his initial outline for public consultation ahead of formalising the final plan in March 2017, so as to allow public service bodies, the voluntary sector, and interested members of public the chance to provide any comments or further ideas.
Key considerations in the plan include:
- Improving working relationships with public services and the voluntary sector, to support Gwent Police in preventing crime.
- Building and maintaining cohesion and communication with all communities within Gwent, so people feel confident in police services.
- Examining police visibility and accessibility with the Chief Constable to ensure that uniformed presence is organised and deployed as effectively as possible.
- Building a strong and positive relationship with the Welsh Government to ensure effective schemes which support policing, such as the numbers of PCSOs in Gwent, are maintained.
Mr Cuthbert has also created four points to form the backbone of his Police and Crime Plan, which reflect issues that were raised to him during the campaign which saw him elected as Ian Johnston’s successor on Sunday May 8.
Those issues include reducing levels of crime, providing support for victims of crime, including cyber-crime, dealing with antisocial behaviour such as vandalism and cold calling, and ensuring that Gwent plays a role in contributing to dealing with national and regional threats from terrorism and organised crime.
Mr Cuthbert said: “The police cannot provide for the security and wellbeing of communities and citizens by itself and it’s only through strong collaborative working with other key public services can we seek to provide the best possible quality of life for our citizens and particularly our most vulnerable. Through good joined-up working with key partners, we can reduce levels of crime and have fewer victims.
“My full police and crime plan will go into much more detail but I intend, at this time, to base its approach on these key objectives and proposed priorities.
“I’m keen to receive initial observations from any organisation or individual that wishes to comment at this stage.”
Members of public can contact Jeff Cuthbert’s office via maria.chapman@gwent.pnn.police.uk or by writing to:
Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent,
Police Headquarters,
Cwmbran,
Torfaen,
NP44 2XJ.