News
Dyfed Powys Police supporting awareness of Child Sexual Exploitation
DYFED-POWYS POLICE is supporting the National Awareness Day for Child Sexual Exploitation on Saturday (Mar 18), which is led by the charity National Working Group (NWG).
The aim of the day is to highlight the issues surrounding child sexual exploitation, to encourage everyone to think, spot and speak out against abuse and adopt a zero tolerance to adults developing inappropriate relationships with children.
Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) Ifan Charles, Protecting Vulnerable People Department, Dyfed Powys Police, said: “It is vitally important that we gain greater knowledge and understanding of Child Sexual Exploitation in order to effectively target activity at local, regional and national level. Police officers are being actively trained to recognise the early signs that can identify children at risk. We all have a role to play in ensuring that children have a safe environment to grow up in.
In the week leading up to the day, front line staff will be visiting local groups and organisations to raise awareness.
DCI Ifan Charles added: “We recognise the importance of investing in identifying and tackling CSE and have invested additional resources into this complex area of safeguarding. We continue to work with our statutory partners and voluntary groups and recognise that the support of the public is absolutely vital to achieving better outcomes.”
School Community Police Officers across the force area will be delivering targeted age appropriate CSE sessions in schools as part of the wider All Wales School Liaison Core Programme.
Bethan James, the Dyfed-Powys Police School Liaison Coordinator, said: “It is vital that we raise awareness of CSE with our children and the staff working in our schools. Designated School Officers have been trained to deliver these sessions. They have the current, up to date knowledge and understanding in order to inform, prevent and protect our future generations.”
At the beginning of March, Dyfed-Powys Police launched a specialist team to help tackle the threat of Child Sexual Exploitation. The Police On-Line Investigation Team (POLIT), made up of Detectives, Digital Media Investigators, Forensic Examiners and analytical staff, will target offenders, in particular those operating online, who share and distribute indecent images of children.
Temporary Detective Sergeant, Mathew Davies, said: “Our team of specialist staff and officers will target those who exploit children, carrying out warrants across the whole Dyfed-Powys force area. The work of POLIT will help to speed up the investigation of offences and bring more offenders to justice. We are also working with the ‘Stop It Now’ project to provide support for family members of offenders, who have been affected by their illegal behaviour.”
Social Media will be used on the day to further raise awareness of CSE. You can look out for the hashtags on Twitter: #CSE #CSEDay16 #HelpingHands.
Crime
Pembroke Dock woman in court for failing to remove rubbish from property
A PEMBROKE DOCK resident is due to appear before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court later today (Nov 25) for multiple alleged breaches of a community protection notice.
Sheena Deacon, of 13 Wavell Crescent, Pembroke Dock, faces charges under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, which carries a maximum penalty of a Level 4 fine.
The charges stem from allegations that Deacon failed to remove accumulated household waste from her property on several occasions. According to court documents, the breaches occurred on September 19, September 26, October 2, October 9, and October 17 this year.
The charges indicate that Deacon, despite being issued with a community protection notice, did not comply with the requirements to clear and appropriately dispose of refuse and household waste from her address.
The Herald will bring updates on the case as it progresses.
News
Welsh Conservatives urge Labour to scrap ‘family farm tax’
THE WELSH CONSERVATIVES have announced plans to bring forward a Senedd debate next week (Nov 27) calling on the UK Labour Government to abandon its proposed “family farm tax.”
The tax, introduced by the UK Labour Government, is being criticised as a move that will harm Welsh farming, threaten food security, and increase food prices. Alongside the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Farming Scheme and perceived “anti-farming agenda,” critics argue this new tax amounts to a coordinated effort to undermine the future of agriculture in Wales.
Shadow Minister warns of consequences
Ahead of the debate, Welsh Conservative Shadow Minister for Rural Affairs, James Evans MS, condemned the proposal, stating:
“Labour’s family farm tax will put family farms out of business, threaten our food security, and lead to food prices rising. Only the Welsh Conservatives will stand up for our farmers, and that’s why we’re bringing forward a Senedd motion calling on Labour to reverse this decision. No farmers, no food.”
NFU Cymru expresses alarm
NFU Cymru President, Aled Jones, echoed these concerns, highlighting the widespread opposition from the farming community. Speaking about the impact of the tax on Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief, Jones said:
“Earlier this week, hundreds of farmers from across Wales journeyed to London to meet with their MPs and register their deeply held concerns about these misguided and ill-thought-out reforms.
“The proposals unveiled by the Treasury last month to introduce a tax on the passing on of our family farms to the next generation are a massive added burden. They will leave many farmers without the means, confidence, or incentive to invest in the future of their business.
“NFU Cymru reiterates its call for the UK Government to halt these changes.”
The motion to be debated
The motion, set to be debated in the Senedd, reads:
“To propose that the Senedd:
Calls on the UK Labour Government to reverse its decision to impose a family farm tax on agricultural businesses.”
This debate is expected to attract significant attention, with Welsh farmers and rural communities keenly watching for the outcome.
Community
Internet outage for two villages after exchange box destroyed
RESIDENTS of Clunderwen and Llandissilio have been left without internet access following the destruction of an Openreach exchange box just outside Llandissilio village.
The incident occurred yesterday (Nov 23) when the box was reportedly demolished by a vehicle. The damage has resulted in a complete loss of internet services for the two villages, with repairs expected to take at least a couple of days.
Local residents have expressed frustration over the disruption, as the outage affects home businesses, remote workers, and households relying on internet connectivity for day-to-day tasks.
Openreach engineers have cordoned off the site, and work is ongoing to assess the extent of the damage. A spokesperson for Openreach has been contacted for comment but had not responded by the time of publication.
The vehicle involved in the incident has not yet been identified. Anyone with information about the collision is urged to contact the local police.
With repair timelines unclear, affected residents have called for increased communication from service providers to manage expectations during the outage.
“Bringing the community back online is a priority,” a local resident said. “We’re hoping Openreach can resolve the issue quickly and ensure it doesn’t happen again in future.”
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