Safer Llanelli Initiative achieves early impact on crime levels in town

The Safer Llanelli Initiative has now been running for over a month and officers are already seeing positive results as a result of the scheme.

The initiative, which began in Llanelli Town Centre on Monday 1st October, is aimed at tackling the problems which impact on residents in the most troublesome areas.

“We are seeing a positive impact already from the initiative,” said Detective Inspector Gary Phillips. “We are seeing reductions in our volume crime, things like burglary and vehicle related offences”.

“We are using crime mapping to focus our resources on the busy areas and we are conducting regular meetings with our partners who are involved in drug rehabilitation and that’s improving our information sharing.

“The aim now is to continue to build on this good work and help make Llanelli a safer place to live and work.”

Safer Llanelli October update

Scrap Metal

As part of Safer Llanelli officers from the local teams and the Roads Policing Unit have conducted an operation making sure that scrap metal dealers in the town are operating within legal guidelines.

“The theft of scrap metal has been a big problem across the whole country because of the high prices we’re seeing for metal,” said Detective Inspector Gary Phillips. “As of 3rd December 2012, the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders (LAPSO) Act comes in to being. This updates the Scrap Metal Act of 1964 and will prohibit cash payments for scrap metal and require all payments to be made by cheque or electronic transfer.

“Recently we conducted a multi-agency checkpoint in the county which resulted in one arrest in Llanelli for the theft of scrap metal.”

Licensed Premises

As part of Safer Llanelli officers have also been visiting licensed premises to ensure licensing conditions are being met.

“The night-time economy in Llanelli is a busy one, and we need to make sure it’s running as safely as possible,” said Inspector Neil Jones. “To that end, we’re visiting local pubs and clubs and making sure their door staff are properly trained, that no underage people are being served alcohol and that licensees are meeting their licensing conditions.

“In its first month, Safer Llanelli also saw officers issuing 57 of the Section 27 notices. These notices require a person to leave the area in which they are behaving anti-socially for a specified amount of time. If they return before they’re supposed to, they face being arrested and taken into custody.”

Prolific offender gets Crasbo

As part of Safer Llanelli police have managed to secure an Anti-Social Behaviour Order on Conviction (CRASBO) on a repeat offender.

The application concerning 38 year old Jeremy Ernest Walters – aka ‘Ching’ – of Llanelli was heard on Thursday 27th September 2012 along with two other Criminal Offences Drunk and Disorderly/Public Order and Fail to appear at Court.

As a persistent offender; it was felt that a CRASBO was the most effective way of dealing with Walters, particularly in view that his offending continues time and again.

It means Walters:

• must not consume alcohol outdoors or be under the obvious influence of alcohol in any Public Place in Llanelli.
• must not enter Llanelli town Centre or Parc Trostre Retail Park, Llanelli as between 9am-11am or at any other time unless required by pre-arranged solicitor appointments / probation requirements or at any other officially required attendance.
• must not remain on any shop, commercial, hospital or other premises when asked to leave by staff or entering any premises from which barred.
• must not behave in any way causing or likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to any person.

“This Crasbo is in place until further notice,” said Detective Inspector Gary Phillips. “His prolific offending has not only on put a burden on officers who constantly have to deal with him, but also the neighbours who have had to put up with his criminality over the years. A part of the Safer Llanelli Initiative is to clear our streets of persistent nuisance offenders like him. It is people like Mr Walters who raise the fear of crime in the Station Road area of Llanelli and I am determined to relentlessly target others like him”.

Mephedrone

As part of Safer Llanelli officers in Llanelli Town continue to be proactive in their stance on tackling mephedrone.

Known users are being stopped and checked on a regular basis and this had led to the town having some of the highest mephedrone crime figures in the county.

“Llanelli has received some publicity recently concerning mephedrone and the number of instances we are seeing of people being caught in possession of the drug,” said Detective Inspector Gary Phillips. “It’s worth mentioning that Llanelli is no worse off than any other town in Wales. But officers in the town are being extremely proactive in dealing with mephedrone, hence the high figures.

“And we will continue to target known users and dealers in the coming months ahead.”