It has been another busy month of engagement for my office, particularly with our younger residents.
I was delighted to take part in the SYDIC ‘Aber Valley podcast’ where I was asked a number of questions relating to policing and my role as Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC).
In essence, the role of a PCC is to be the public face of policing.
As an elected official, it is my responsibility to ensure that the voices of the people I represent are heard.
This includes those of young people, who, I believe, should be involved in shaping their future services.
It was therefore an absolute pleasure to sponsor the Gwent Youth Question Time, hosted by members of the Gwent Regional Youth Forum.
The event gave young people from across the county the opportunity to ask key decision makers from health and policing, questions on topics that matter to them.
Some of the topics discussed during the evening included mental health, anti-social behaviour, homelessness and drugs.
More information and videos can be found on my website, www.gwent.pcc.police.uk.
In Caerphilly, the local Blackwood and Risca Crime Prevention Panel have been invaluable in helping young people understand the risk of drugs through the ‘Wings to Fly’ play.
Funded by my office, the play has been performed to thousands of school children over the last 23 years, with the most recent run taking place last week.
It gives children a powerful message about the dangers of substance misuse with the hope that they will carry this with them as they go through life.
I would like to thank everyone involved for their continued commitment and support.
Finally, last week, myself and my fellow Welsh PCC’s attended the official launch of a national modern slavery toolkit which looks at tackling modern slavery at a local level.
Slavery may seem like an outdated concept, and is still a relatively uncommon offence in Wales, but its prevalence is growing.
We are already doing a lot of work in Gwent to tackle this heinous crime including a dedicated team within Gwent Police.
However, due to the hidden nature of slavery, people may not realise when they have come into contact with a victim.
Some of the signs to look out for include limited family contact, physical abuse, appearing malnourished, distrust of the authorities, having no friends or acting as if under another’s control.
If you suspect someone is a victim of human trafficking or modern day slavery, please contact Gwent Police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
If you want to keep up to date with all my activities, and those of my Office, sign up to my new fortnightly e-bulletin in English www.eepurl.com/gcUkVj or Welsh www.eepurl.com/ge9oFL.