News

Prevention is better than a cure

Published

12 years ago

December 12, 2013

The Pembrokeshire Herald spends a day with the Haverfordwest Neighbourhood Policing Team

IT IS VERY EASY to think of the police as an entity in place to fix crime when it happens. Sometimes it slips our minds that a major role of our police force is to prevent crime before it strikes. Designated police officers gather from every station, specifically targeting the prevention of crime and these officers work in the Neighbourhood Police Team.

Sgt Catrin Thomas is the head of a team of four other police constables, along with six police community support officers that make up Haverfordwest’s Neighbourhood force. This team of officers have the responsibility of actively approaching the public in Haverfordwest’s very large geographical area. The town is just the beginning.

Every police officer has a responsibility to protect the public in an emergency situation. If a 999 call comes in then the attention of the officer is immediately prioritised to the alert at hand. The Neighbourhood Policing Team is given a daily brief as to any concerns that the public might have. These concerns may be raised in a well-populated area, or they may be raised in a rural and isolated part of the Haverfordwest sector. All concerns are taken seriously and no report from the public is taken as a ‘waste of time’.

In order to begin to understand the effort of the team, I joined two officers in a visit to a well-established stable in Camrose, to engage with the proprietor.The officers were welcomed as friends due to their continued support of the establishment. PCSO Jude Parr is a keen equestrian herself and the genuine concern, also displayed by PC Simon Davies, is blatantly obvious from the moment they arrived at the premises. These officers were both approachable and genuine and demonstrated that a crime does not have to be committed to build a relationship with the people that often need them the most, when a police station may not be ‘just around the corner’.

There are rural organisations that the team help to maintain. These entities are often not even heard of by the general public. Most people have heard of Neighbourhood Watch but few could claim to know of organisations such as ‘Farm Watch’ and ‘Horse Watch’ that are in place to monitor theft and vandalism of rural enterprises and homes. This idea would not be so successful if it was not for the community officers that help to spread the information needed by the community.

The very presence of officers in rural areas has given individuals the confidence to raise concerns that otherwise would have remained unspoken.

Back in the centre of town, officers are patrolling the streets attempting to create the same approachability that the rural officers achieve. Every day police officers, such as Rachel Wall and Liam Woodford, step out into the public to affirm the goals of the team. To create an approachable and friendly presence that will always take the public seriously. Rachel and Liam (Liam in particular) may seem a little camera shy but they do what they are employed to do. They do it very well.

Whilst joining the two officers around the town of Haverfordwest, it is obvious that they have a wonderful rapport with the people. Rachel and Liam take the time to speak to the general public and the proprietors of local businesses to take action against any concerns that may be present. It is refreshing to see the genuine look on a member of the public’s face when they know that there is someone there to take them seriously.

Back at the station, Ben Thomas, a local volunteer, explained to me the confidence he has built over his short time with the police. Ben is new to the team but he is training to take on the paperwork that sometimes makes a practical job very difficult. He demonstrates very well the fact that all sorts of ingredients make a good product.

Sgt Catrin Thomas obviously cares a lot for her colleagues and for the public that the team stands for. Dyfed Powys area has the least crime of any area in Wales as Catrin explains. In maintaining a community based police force the public can continue to feel in the county that they live in. I must admit, after a day with this team, I certainly believe that to be true.

Do not be afraid to contact your local police force if you have a concern. All of the public will be taken seriously and you have a local team to back you up and help. Please call 101 from your telephone or stop an officer. After all, they are there to help and not to intimidate.

Community

Kurtz thanks Narberth postal workers for Christmas effort

Published

49 seconds ago

December 15, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Annual visit to Royal Mail delivery office recognises “exceptional dedication”

SAMUEL KURTZ MS has paid tribute to postal workers at the Royal Mail Delivery Office in Narberth during a visit this week, thanking staff for their hard work at the busiest time of the year.

The run-up to Christmas is the peak period for Royal Mail, with teams processing and delivering thousands of cards, parcels and festive packages for households and businesses across west Wales. During his tour of the depot, the Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire Member of the Senedd met with postal workers and heard first-hand about the pressures they face in keeping deliveries on track.

As part of the now annual tradition, Mr Kurtz also donated a bottle from Pembrokeshire’s award-winning Velfrey Vineyard for a free staff raffle.

Speaking after the visit, Samuel Kurtz MS said: “Every year, postal workers go above and beyond to make sure our Christmas cards and parcels arrive safely. Their dedication keeps communities connected, and I want to pay a heartfelt thank you to the team in Narberth for the incredible work they do at the most demanding time of the year.”

Education

School issues safeguarding alert over children’s use of Roblox

Published

11 minutes ago

December 15, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi warns parents about addictive gameplay, unsafe chat functions and scammers

YSGOL PENRHYN DEWI in St Davids has issued a safeguarding warning to parents after concerns were raised about children’s use of the popular online gaming platform Roblox.

In a letter sent to families today (Dec 15), Assistant Headteacher Louise Gray said the school had been made aware of a series of risks linked to the platform, which is widely used by children aged 8–13 – and in some cases younger.

Roblox allows users to create and play games developed by other players. However, the school says this user-generated model can expose children to inappropriate or harmful content depending on which games they access.

Range of risks highlighted

The letter sets out several specific safeguarding concerns, including:

Inappropriate content in user-created games
Highly addictive gameplay, with daily quests and reward systems designed to increase screen time
Easily changed parental controls, allowing children to adjust settings without verification
Chat features that expose younger players to inappropriate messages
Peer pressure from in-game ‘connections’, with children believing they know other users
Emotional dysregulation linked to heavy use of the platform
Scams, including fake offers of free Robux or cosmetic items

Parents are being urged to closely monitor how their children use the platform, who they interact with, and what content they can access.

Guidance available

The school has directed families to the Welsh Government’s Hwb website for further advice on parental controls and safe use of Roblox.

A Roblox spokesperson said: “Roblox is committed to providing a safe and positive experience for every member of our community, especially children and young people. We use a combination of chat filtering, human and AI-assisted moderation, parental controls and age verification tools to help protect our users from inappropriate content or behaviour.

“Younger players have more restrictive settings by default, and features such as voice chat and unfiltered text chat are limited to age-verified users. We encourage parents and carers to make use of our safety features, review their child’s settings regularly, and talk with them about staying safe online.”

“We continuously update our policies and systems in response to emerging risks, and we work closely with safety experts and regulators to help ensure Roblox remains a secure environment for creativity and play.”

Community

Festive creativity shines as Kurtz MS meets card competition winner

Published

1 hour ago

December 15, 2025

Tom Sinclair

SAMUEL KURTZ, Member of the Senedd for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, visited Pembroke Dock Community School on Friday 12th December to present a prize to the winner of this year’s Christmas Card Competition.

The competition invited pupils to design a festive Christmas card, with entries received from schools across the area. The standard of artwork was exceptionally high, showcasing the creativity, imagination and talent of young people in the community.

During the visit, Samuel Kurtz congratulated the winning pupil and thanked all those who took part, as well as the teachers and staff who supported the competition. Each child who entered also received a certificate in recognition of their hard work and effort.

Speaking after the presentation, Samuel said, “It was a real pleasure to visit Pembroke Dock Community School today and announce the winner of my Christmas Card competition. This year the winner is Mair Moseley, aged 10, and she designed a wonderful Santa image that really stood out. She has won a chocolate selection set and a £20 book token to enjoy over Christmas.”

He added, “ The creativity and enthusiasm shown by all the children was fantastic, and it made choosing a winner extremely difficult. I want to congratulate all the entrants and thank the staff for their ongoing support.”

Pembroke Dock Community School Headteacher, Mrs Katie Crockford-Morris, added, “We were delighted to welcome Samuel Kurtz MS to the school to present the prize. The children thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the competition, and they were incredibly proud to receive their certificates.”

The winning design will now be used as Samuel Kurtz’s official Christmas card this year, with one copy already on its way to His Majesty, King Charles.