Crime

Knife blankets call as school staff face rising violence fears

Published

45 seconds 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

PCC review calls for stronger youth crime prevention work

Published

30 minutes ago

June 9, 2026

Tom Sinclair

REPORT MAKES 13 RECOMMENDATIONS

A REVIEW into crime and anti-social behaviour services for young adults has called for stronger prevention work, better promotion of support services, and clearer evidence of what works.

The Dyfed-Powys Police and Crime Commissioner’s Select Committee examined intervention, prevention and engagement services for young adults aged 18 to 25.

The review gathered evidence from young people, partner agencies, an open call for evidence, internal scrutiny work, and a hearing attended by police and local authority representatives.

As a result, the committee has made 13 recommendations, which have now been shared with relevant partners.

They include calls for services to place greater emphasis on social and emotional skills and healthy relationships, and for Dyfed-Powys Police to consider producing a Strategic Profile of crime and anti-social behaviour committed by 18 to 25-year-olds.

The committee also recommends that partner organisations do more to promote intervention, prevention and engagement services for young adults, so that professionals and communities know what help is available.

Other recommendations include sharing evaluation findings between local authority areas, updating police data dashboards to include age-group information, and demonstrating the impact of police prevention work to young adults.

The report also calls for scrutiny of problem-orientated policing plans to assess the effectiveness of mental health services, and for police to seek assurance that Outcome 22 is being used effectively.

Police and Crime Commissioner Dafydd Llywelyn said: “My Select Committee has been able to give an important area a spotlight through our work and to present hopefully impactful recommendations to partners.

“We have listened to young adults’ voices throughout this process, which has been key in developing the recommendations around services which may directly affect them and their peers.

“One of my Youth Ambassadors sat on the Select Committee, and his perspective, alongside that of all other members, was invaluable.

“Thank you to all who have been involved in this review. Diolch yn fawr.”

The full report is available on the Dyfed-Powys Police and Crime Commissioner’s website.

Crime

Families condemn failed appeal by paddleboard boss jailed over Haverfordwest tragedy

Published

3 hours ago

June 9, 2026

Tom Sinclair

RELATIVES SAY LATEST COURT BID HAS REOPENED PAIN AFTER FOUR DEATHS ON WESTERN CLEDDAU

THE FAMILIES of victims of the Haverfordwest paddleboarding tragedy have spoken of their anger after the woman jailed over four deaths failed in a bid to challenge her sentence.

Nerys Bethan Lloyd, 41, from Port Talbot, was jailed for 10 years and six months after admitting gross negligence manslaughter following the deaths of Paul O’Dwyer, Andrea Powell, Morgan Rogers and Nicola Wheatley.

The four died after a paddleboarding trip on the Western Cleddau in Haverfordwest went disastrously wrong on October 30, 2021.

Three Court of Appeal judges rejected arguments that Lloyd’s sentence was “manifestly excessive”.

The failed appeal has now prompted fresh criticism from grieving families, who say they have been forced to relive the tragedy again.

Morgan Rogers’ mother, Teresa Hall, said Lloyd should “leave the families in peace”, adding that those who lost loved ones were serving “life sentences” of their own.

Nicola Wheatley’s husband, Darren, said he broke down when the appeal was rejected, describing the decision as a moment of relief after another agonising legal hearing.

The tragedy happened during a commercial paddleboarding tour from Haverfordwest towards Burton Ferry. The group encountered the town weir in dangerous river conditions, with several participants becoming trapped in the powerful hydraulic towback.

A Marine Accident Investigation Branch report later found the deaths were “tragic and avoidable”, highlighting failures in planning, risk assessment, safety briefings, equipment and awareness of the danger posed by the weir.

At sentencing, the court heard Lloyd had failed to produce a written risk assessment for the trip and that the group had not been properly warned about the weir.

The case remains one of Pembrokeshire’s most devastating modern tragedies, with the deaths sending shockwaves through Haverfordwest and across Wales.

Lloyd remains in custody following the failed appeal bid.

Crime

Woman jailed after Carmarthen shoplifting spree and probation breach

Published

4 hours ago

June 9, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Thirty-three-year-old admitted repeated thefts from town centre stores before failing to attend probation appointments

A CARMARTHEN woman who carried out a string of shop thefts across the town before breaching a suspended sentence order has been jailed for 44 weeks.

Jessica Mudd, aged 33, of Ross Avenue, Carmarthen, was sentenced at Llanelli Magistrates’ Court on Monday (Jun 8) after failing without reasonable excuse to comply with a community requirement attached to a suspended sentence order.

The court heard that Mudd failed to attend two appointments at Carmarthen Probation Office on May 6 and May 18, breaching an order imposed by Llanelli Magistrates’ Court on March 12.

As a result, magistrates activated a suspended prison sentence and ordered that Mudd serve a total of 44 weeks in custody.

The sentence followed a lengthy list of offences committed in Carmarthen between September 2025 and February 2026, including repeated thefts from shops across the town centre.

Court records show Mudd stole miscellaneous items worth £44 from Flying Tiger in St Catherine’s Walk on February 13, followed by clothing valued at £85.95 from New Look in the same shopping centre.

On February 20, she stole baby items worth £100 from TK Maxx in Merlin’s Walk Shopping Centre and Pampers nappies worth £28 from B&M Stores in Hall Street.

Two days later, on February 22, Mudd stole cleaning products and a joint of beef worth £85.42 from the Co-op in King Street.

The court also heard that on February 24 she stole lunar boots worth £65 from Coco Blush in Cambrian Way.

Earlier offending included the theft of fragrances worth £500 from Boots in September 2025, dog food from Pets at Home, household detergent and food from the Co-op, a scarf from Poundland, and further shop thefts from B&M and other retailers.

As part of the same offending period, Mudd was also convicted of assaulting David Gareth Watson by beating in Mansel Street, Carmarthen, on February 24, as well as criminal damage after damaging clothing and glasses belonging to the same man.

Magistrates implemented an 18-week suspended prison sentence imposed in March for the theft matters, together with an additional consecutive term linked to another case, resulting in an overall sentence of 44 weeks’ imprisonment.