Welcome to my first blog for Monmouthshire North, I have only recently taken over the post from outgoing Inspector Arwel Hicks, who will soon retire from Gwent Police after 30 years of public service.
On a personal note, I am happy to live and work in Monmouthshire, I am married and have two children in graduate and post graduate study. I have 20 years’ service with Gwent Police having returned from the Royal Hong Kong Police in 1997. I was most recently working in Newport West, covering Bettws and Pillgwenlly, but I have worked in Monmouthshire for a significant proportion of my service.
My commitment to you will be to continue to deliver the best quality of service, making the best use of my resources to protect and reassure the public. This will mean prioritising incidents and investigations firstly, to protect the vulnerable and those at risk of serious harm. Secondly, to target priority and prolific offenders having the greatest impact on the community at large.
Following on from last month’s blog by one of your Neighbourhood Team, Adam Hollings, I think it timely for me to highlight the often unseen and unappreciated work that goes on in the background with police and partner agencies to reduce crime and protect the vulnerable.
Recent legislation recognises that all the answers do not lie solely with the criminal justice system and police. Partner agencies that include, council, health boards, housing providers, and social services have both the responsibility and powers to tackle both crime and anti-social behaviour.
Your Crime and Disorder Officer, Mal John, is the fulcrum for much of this work and he will regularly participate in problem solving multi-agency meetings where relevant information is shared and a lead agency is agreed to tackle a problem which can provide long term solutions.
Abergavenny and Monmouth has utilised new powers of Community Protection Warnings/Notices and Criminal Behaviour Orders to good effect. These are increasingly strict orders requiring those to adjust their behaviours when support and diversion has been unsuccessful. The sanctions courts can deliver should these orders be breached are significant as police and agencies can demonstrate all the support and diversionary options have been exhausted before prosecution in considered.
Your officers were busy this month on a vehicle crime initiative, responding to recent community concerns. They were disappointed to find 19 vehicles were left insecure by their owners despite recent advice and awareness campaigns. Please keep you vehicles locked, remove valuables overnight or at least place them out of sight.
Police are now visible on a number of social media platforms including Twitter and Facebook which are useful, engaging and informative. However, please help us to help you keep our community safe by reporting live incidents via 101 or 999. – Stay Safe.
Inspector Neil Jones
