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

The last few months have been incredibly busy for me and my team as we have attended events and visited community groups across Gwent’s five counties to speak with children and young people.

I’m currently developing a Children’s Charter to guide how my office works with young people in the future. Over the past few months, we’ve had some fantastic conversations and spoken to hundreds of young people to gather their views.

By understanding what young people think about policing in their area, how safe they feel, and what they believe public services could be doing better, we can make sure our work, and our funding, is targeted where it is needed most.

I particularly want to thank the staff and students at Lewis School who helped us to workshop an early version of the survey we used to gather this information, and who have been very supportive throughout this process. I must also thank Caerphilly’s youth service, and the team at Itec Skills and Employment in Blackwood for their support. Thank you also to everyone that has taken the time to have their say.

At the end of September, I chaired the latest meeting of my Accountability and Assurance Board. This is the main forum where I hold Gwent Police to account, scrutinise police performance and policies, and address the issues that matter most to residents. For the first time, you can now watch the meeting on my website.

In September’s meeting, we:

• Heard from Chief Constable Mark Hobrough about the actions taken following HMICFRS’ latest PEEL Inspection Report
• Reviewed Gwent Police’s performance over the last quarter
• Took a closer look at its procurement and people strategies

Making this process more transparent and accessible so that residents can see the work I am doing on their behalf is just one of the ways I am delivering on the commitments set out in my Police, Crime and Justice Plan.

Finally, last weekend I attended a special ceremony in Coventry to mark Police Memorial Day, where we remembered and paid tribute to police officers that have lost their lives on duty.

While residents will no doubt be deeply concerned about the recent Panorama investigation into the Metropolitan Police, I think it is more important for us than ever to remember the hard work, dedication and selfless service that characterises the majority of our police force here in Gwent.

The memorial was a powerful reminder of the risks officers face every single day as they work to keep us safe, and I want to say a heartfelt thank you to all police officers, past and present, for your service.