Tackling violent and alcohol-related crime in town centres

A NEW initiative to prevent late night violent and alcohol-related crime is being launched across Carmarthenshire.

Operation Nightsafe is a multi-agency, pro-active approach to reduce anti-social behaviour and alcohol-related crime in our town centres.

It has already been piloted successfully in Llanelli and Carmarthen and will now be rolled out to other areas in the county.

The pilot saw police working with door staff, licensees, taxis and take-aways amongst others in a bid to prevent trouble on one of the nights of the Six Nations Rugby Internationals.

All those involved attended a briefing so that they knew what the operation was about and what it hoped to achieve. It was accompanied by high-visibility policing as well as CCTV and the use of Section 27 direction to leave notices.

These notices can be issued by police officers to anyone aged 10 and over in a public place (including licensed premises) where their presence is likely to result in alcohol-related crime. They must leave that place for up to 48 hours and if breached they can be issued with a fixed penalty and risk arrest.

During the pilot operation a total of 19 Section 27 notices were issued helping to prevent any major problems.

Partnerships Inspector Eric Evans said: “There was very little disorder and people felt safer as a result of the high policing presence. There was good communication between the partners, in particular the door staff were very supportive and the food outlets felt more confident. The Section 27 notices are also an effective short-term deterrent.

“The pilot was very successful and the initiative will now be rolled out to other areas. We are working hard with our partners to tackle violent and alcohol-related crime and to make sure people can enjoy themselves safely and responsibly.”