Crime

Knife blankets call as school staff face rising violence fears

Published

2 months ago

June 9, 2026

GMB says protective equipment should be considered where risk assessments show staff could face blades

SCHOOL staff should be given access to knife blankets where there is a clear risk of violent incidents involving blades, a union has said, amid growing concern over safety in schools and youth settings.

The call was made at the GMB Congress on Tuesday (Jun 9), where delegates warned that school support staff are increasingly being expected to deal with serious behavioural incidents, safeguarding crises and violent confrontations without proper protective equipment.

The debate will resonate strongly in west Wales, where recent incidents have brought the issue of youth violence into sharp focus.

In February, Milford Haven School was placed into lockdown after a teacher was assaulted during an incident involving a pupil reportedly armed with a bladed article. A 15-year-old boy was later charged with grievous bodily harm and possession of a bladed article on school premises.

The case followed the shocking attack at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman in Ammanford in April 2024, when two teachers and a pupil were stabbed. A teenage girl was later convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to 15 years in custody.

More recently, four youths aged between 13 and 17 suffered stab wounds during violence at Tenby railway station in April. British Transport Police later confirmed a number of arrests in connection with the incident.

GMB said the issue was not about creating fear in schools, but about recognising the reality faced by staff who are often first on the scene when serious incidents unfold.

Jonathan Coles, a GMB delegate, told Congress: “Support staff frequently manage challenging behaviour, respond to safeguarding crises, and undertake de-escalation work.

“Yet they are expected to do this without appropriate protective equipment.

“That’s why GMB is calling for the establishment of clear national standards requiring all academy trusts, local authorities, and specialist education providers to provide knife blankets wherever risk assessments identify potential exposure.

“Knife blankets, alongside consistent training on their use, offer a practical measure for the protection of education staff.”

Knife blankets are designed to help protect staff from slashes and stab wounds during emergency situations. The union says they should not be seen as a replacement for prevention, behaviour support, mental health services or proper staffing levels, but as one part of a wider safety plan.

Figures cited by GMB suggest more than 700 knife-related offences were recorded by police in schools in England and Wales last year.

The union is calling for clear national standards, proper training, and risk assessments which reflect the changing nature of violence faced by education staff.

The issue is likely to raise difficult questions for councils, schools and Welsh Government ministers about how far schools should go in preparing for rare but potentially catastrophic incidents.

Supporters of the proposal argue that staff should not be left defenceless when violence erupts.

Others may worry that protective equipment such as knife blankets risks normalising the idea that schools are dangerous places.

But after serious incidents in Milford Haven, Ammanford and Tenby, the debate over how best to protect staff and pupils is unlikely to go away.

Crime

Driver sentenced for cannabis offences on Cleddau Bridge and in Wolverhampton

Published

11 hours ago

July 24, 2026

Court Reporter

A WOLVERHAMPTON motorist has been disqualified from driving after admitting two separate cannabis-driving offences, including one on the Cleddau Bridge.

Doel Lyons appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (July 23), where he pleaded guilty to both charges.

The first offence took place on December 22, 2025, when Lyons drove a Honda Civic along the A477 Cleddau Bridge at Pembroke Dock.

A blood test showed seven micrograms of Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the main psychoactive compound in cannabis, per litre of blood.

The second offence occurred on March 30 this year, when Lyons drove the same Honda Civic along Tithe Croft in Wolverhampton with cannabis in his blood above the legal limit.

Magistrates imposed a 12-month driving disqualification for each offence and fined Lyons £233 on each charge.

He was also ordered to pay £85 in prosecution costs in relation to each conviction.

The court register does not specify whether the two periods of disqualification are to run concurrently.

Separate allegations that Lyons drove another vehicle while over the cannabis limit and without insurance in Staffordshire in September 2025 remain outstanding.

No pleas have been entered to those charges, which were adjourned for a plea hearing at Wolverhampton Magistrates’ Court on July 29.

Crime

Pembrokeshire teenager given referral order after shoplifting spree

Published

11 hours ago

July 24, 2026

Court Reporter

A PEMBROKESHIRE teenager has been given a 12-month referral order after admitting a string of shop thefts and damaging a police vehicle.

The youth appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (July 23), where guilty pleas were entered to 11 theft offences committed between April and June.

The offences involved shops in Haverfordwest, Milford Haven and Neyland, with alcohol targeted in the majority of the incidents.

Items stolen included BuzzBall alcoholic drinks, vodka, cans of Red Bull, crisps, chewing gum and a sandwich.

The court heard that several of the thefts took place at retail parks in Haverfordwest and Milford Haven, while others occurred at stores in Neyland and Milford Haven town centre.

The individual also admitted causing £180 worth of damage to a Dyfed-Powys Police vehicle in Neyland on June 26.

Magistrates imposed a 12-month referral order, which will require the teenager to work with the Pembrokeshire Youth Offending Team and comply with a contract agreed with a youth offender panel.

Compensation totalling £336.77 was ordered in relation to the stolen property and damage to the police vehicle. The teenager’s guilty pleas were taken into account.

The court imposed reporting restrictions under the Children and Young Persons Act 1933. Nothing may be published which could identify the youth.

Crime

Murder investigation launched into death of Pembrokeshire man in 1991

Published

1 day ago

July 23, 2026

Tom Sinclair

A 67-YEAR-OLD man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after new potential evidence emerged in connection with a death more than three decades ago.

Dyfed-Powys Police have launched a murder investigation into the death of 58-year-old Bentley Mathias, who died in hospital in 1991.

Mr Mathias died at Morriston Hospital on November 19, 1991, with his cause of death recorded at the time as a brain haemorrhage.

His death was not initially treated as suspicious. However, police said new potential evidence had since come to light, prompting the case to be investigated as a murder enquiry.

On Wednesday, July 22, officers arrested a 67-year-old man from the Llandewi Velfrey area of Pembrokeshire on suspicion of murder.

He has since been released on police bail while enquiries continue.

Dyfed-Powys Police said officers were not looking for anyone else in connection with the investigation.

The enquiry remains ongoing.