News

Children to receive domestic abuse support from schools

Published

8 years ago

February 15, 2018

CHILDREN and young people in Pembrokeshire who witness the distressing scenes of domestic abuse are now receiving support from their school the very next day.

About one in five children in the UK are exposed to domestic violence according to the NSPCC – and following an incident, they often go to school with little or no support.

‘Operation Encompass’ seeks to combat this.

The scheme means that the police will provide a report for schools before 9am the following day when a pupil has been exposed to a domestic abuse incident the previous evening.

The information is given in strict confidence to the school’s designated safeguarding officer to enable support to be given dependent on the needs and wishes of the child, said Alastair Birch from Pembrokeshire County Council.

“The key adult won’t raise the issue with the pupil but they will keep a very close eye on them and if there are any issues, practical or emotional, they will step in and help,” said Alastair, Equalities and Safeguarding senior system leader.

“The approach is ‘be aware, be prepared’.

“If they turn up with no uniform, they’ll be given a uniform. If they haven’t had breakfast, they’ll be given breakfast. If they want to talk, the adult is there to listen.

“It’s absolutely vital that we give early, quick support to that child or young person.”

Operation Encompass has been set up jointly by Pembrokeshire County Council and Dyfed-Powys Police.

Pembrokeshire is the first authority in Dyfed-Powys to introduce the scheme. It already operates in several force areas in England.

Kate Evan-Hughes, Director for Children and Schools at Pembrokeshire County Council, said: “Children do come to school upset, distressed and can have an awful day and there may appear to be no clear reason for it. But actually there’s a whole background to why they’re behaving that way. Encompass lets them know if something has happened at home and it’s affecting the child.

“It allows the school to put into place the pastoral care for the child, discreetly and immediately and ensures that someone understands why the child may be behaving differently.

“Just having staff knowing makes a big difference.

“In many cases where a child has witnessed domestic violence that information has often not been shared with a school until many weeks after the event – this may have led to a lack of understanding about a child’ s behaviour and inappropriate consequences. Operation Encompass puts the child first and will help to make sure that support and understanding is there straight away.

“We are excited to be the first in the area to introduce the programme and look forward to sharing our learning and experiences with our partners on the regional safeguarding board.”

Detective Inspector Elaine Bendle, Dyfed-Powys Police, said: “Protecting vulnerable people is a priority for Dyfed-Powys Police and I am pleased to work side-by-side with Pembrokeshire County Council on Operation Encompass.

“This model is recognised as best practice and has the potential to make a real difference to some of our county’s most vulnerable children.

“The feedback so far has been promising; a full review will take place in a few months and if this pilot is successful we hope to roll Operation Encompass out across the whole force area.”

A local headteacher said: “As part of ‘Operation Encompass’ we have to date received important information at the start of the school day. The information has been very valuable to us as a school.

“We are grateful for the support of ‘Operation Encompass’ in helping us keep our pupils safe. It is reassuring to know that there is a system in place to safeguard our children both in and out of school.”

Ministry of Defence

Castlemartin range set for heavy activity as winter live-fire exercise begins

Published

5 hours ago

November 18, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Army warns of late-night firing and increased traffic

CASTLEMARTIN Training Area will be extremely busy over the next few weeks as the Army begins a major live-fire exercise running from now until to 5 December.

The winter training block will see troops carrying out critical preparation ahead of future deployments, with extensive armoured manoeuvres and both daytime and night-time firing.

Extended firing hours

Live firing will take place between the following times:

Monday: 8:00am – 6:00pm and 8:00pm – 3:00am
Tuesday: 8:00am – 6:00pm and 8:00pm – 3:00am
Wednesday: 8:00am – 6:00pm and 8:00pm – 3:00am
Thursday: 8:00am – 6:00pm and 8:00pm – 3:00am
Friday: 8:00am – 6:00pm

There will be no live firing at weekends, although military vehicles will still be moving around the area.

Residents are being reminded that these times are the earliest and latest possible firing windows. Not every day will start or finish at the maximum hours listed.

Traffic expected on rural roads

The Army says there will be increased vehicle movements on local roads—particularly in Angle, Castlemartin and the Freshwater West area—in the week leading up to the exercise and throughout the training period.

A spokesperson said the support of local people is appreciated: “These exercises are essential for maintaining readiness and ensuring our troops are fully trained for any future operational requirement.”

Crime

Two Milford Haven men sent to Crown Court on GBH charges

Published

6 hours ago

November 18, 2025

Court Reporter

The incident stems from a violent incident outside The Vibe public house, Milford Haven involving three men – a woman was also wounded in the incident

TWO Milford Haven men have been sent to Swansea Crown Court charged with section 18 wounding after an alleged incident in the town on November 15.

David McCallum, 41, of Plas Peregrine, Steynton, appeared before Haverfordwest magistrates court on Monday (Nov 17). He is accused of unlawfully and maliciously wounding a woman in Milford Haven with intent to cause her grievous bodily harm, contrary to section 18 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861.

McCallum also faces a second section 18 charge alleging that, on the same date in Milford Haven, he unlawfully and maliciously wounded a man with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm.

He was represented by solicitor Tom Lloyd, with the prosecution conducted by Nia James.

On Tuesday (Nov 18), Nathan Abbott, 31, also of Plas Peregrine, Steynton, appeared before District Judge Mark Layton at Haverfordwest magistrates court.

Abbott is charged with unlawfully and maliciously wounding a man in Milford Haven on November 15 with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm, contrary to section 18 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861.

He was represented by Mike Kelleher, of Welch & Co.

Abbott also gave no plea, and his case was likewise sent to Swansea Crown Court under section 51 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.

Both McCallum and Abbott were remanded on conditional bail.

McCallum’s bail conditions include a curfew from 7:00pm to 7:00am, to be electronically monitored, not to contact directly or indirectly witnesses, and not to enter any public house, licensed club or off-licence.

Abbott’s bail conditions include living and sleeping each night at his home address , not to contact witnesses directly or indirectly, and not to enter licensed premises.

Both men must appear for a Plea and Trial Preparation Hearing at Swansea Crown Court on December 19, 2025, at 9:00am.

No pre-sentence reports were ordered and no indication was given regarding any victim personal statements at this stage.

Crime

Aberystwyth man remanded after admitting cocaine supply

Published

6 hours ago

November 18, 2025

Court Reporter

Case sent to Swansea Crown Court for sentencing

AN ABERYSTWYTH man has been remanded in custody after admitting possessing cocaine with intent to supply and having £7,000 in criminal cash.

Luke Hutton, 25, of Corporation Street, appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Monday (Nov 17) for his first hearing. The case was heard by a bench of Mr J Steadman, Mrs M Scott and Mr R John. He was represented by Jessica Hill and Mike Kelleher, while the prosecution was led by Nia James.

Hutton pleaded guilty to two offences arising from a police incident at Yr Hafan, Princess Street, Aberystwyth, on November 14.

The first charge was possessing £7,000 in criminal property, contrary to the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. The second was possessing a quantity of cocaine, a Class A drug, with intent to supply.

Magistrates were told that Hutton indicated guilty pleas to both matters on the day of his appearance.

Because of the seriousness of the charges, the bench committed the case to Swansea Crown Court for sentence under Section 14 of the Sentencing Act 2020. A pre-sentence report has been ordered.

Magistrates refused bail, citing the likelihood of further offending, the seriousness of the offences and the likely custodial sentence. Hutton was remanded into custody.

He will next appear at Swansea Crown Court on December 1, 2025, at 9:00am, for a committal for sentence hearing, listed for 30 minutes.