Community
Cops saved the life of a violent man
A TEAM west Wales of police officers have been commended for putting their own lives at risk to save a man who was threatening to jump from a roof.
The Dyfed-Powys Police colleagues spent several hours in a tiny attic space trying to talk the man down, while he both attacked them and threatened to throw himself to his death.
Police had been called to Carmarthen on May 15, 2019, to carry out enquiries linked with a wanted man. On arriving at the scene, the man smashed his way onto a roof with a knife and could be seen running across the tops of four properties.
During a protracted incident, and in testing circumstances, officers ended up kicking through the roof to bring the man to safety. Their decisive action and composure ensured a safe resolution to a highly dangerous situation.
In recognition, 12 officers attended the force’s commendation evening on Tuesday, January 28.
Looking back at the incident, firearms officer PC Scott Patrick, said: “I have been in the job for 23 years, and this was by far the hairiest incident I have been involved in.
“Two of us were called to relieve the officers inside, and we went into the attic hatch where Inspector Reuben Palin had been for a few hours talking to the man on the roof.
“This man was on recall to prison, and obviously didn’t want to go back. He was highly emotional and the fear wasn’t that he was going to jump as he was threatening, but that actually he was going to fall off the roof as it was dark and quite slippery.”
Making the treacherous situation even more difficult to deal with, the man took out a Kinder Egg stuffed with drugs and consumed the contents. It was unclear what he had taken, but within minutes he became drowsy and his speech was affected.
The officers knew they needed to get him to safety quickly.
“He had pulled himself through a very small hole in the roof, and Reuben got him to put his leg back through so we could grab hold of it,” PC Patrick said.
“We didn’t know how he would react, but when he knew what was happening he started thrashing around and throwing his weight back.
“Three of us were holding onto his leg, and he started trying to take his trousers off to get away from us. It was exhausting trying to keep hold of him, and we were getting into a really precarious situation – it was boom or bust.”
The three officers were working in testing conditions – cramped into a small and dusty attic, and working by moonlight. They knew they would need to break through the roof, and PC Patrick motioned for colleagues below to pass up a saw.
“I grabbed it and cut through the batons, then kicked the roof through to get to him,” he said. “It was outside our normal working practice, but he had told us he’d taken heroin and sleeping pills, and it was getting really dangerous.”
PC Patrick tried to reason with the man, but he got more irate and picked up pieces of broken slate from the roof to use as a weapon.
“He started using it as a knife, coming down towards my neck,” the PC said. “I took out my taser, and he clenched enough for us to grab and cuff him. It was a massive relief to get him down after all that time.”
The man was helped out of the attic and was taken to hospital for treatment, while officers regrouped for a full de-brief.
“For me, the decisive moment was when Reuben made the call to go from a constant dialogue with the suspect, to saying under his breath ‘grab his leg’. He was the hero of the moment. If the man had fallen, he would have done himself catastrophic damage, and Reuben’s call was pivotal in ensuring we got him down safely,” PC Patrick said.
In recognition of the decisions made under tough conditions and swift action taken by all involved in the incident, the following officers have been commended for the parts they played:
Operational firearms commander PC Emyr Thomas, PC Glenn White (retired), PC Scott Patrick, Inspector Reuben Palin, Chief Inspector Jonathan Rees, Sgt Phillip Jones, PC Matthew Roach, PC Elinor Evans, PC Mike Andrews, PC Samuel Phillips and South Wales Police officers PC Julian Knoyle and PC Steven Fox.
Community
Cilgerran Church in Wales school petition to be heard
A PETITION opposing proposed changes for a north Pembrokeshire school is to be heard by councillors later this week.
At last May’s meeting, Pembrokeshire County Council considered a report of the School Modernisation Working Group which outlined the findings of a review of education provision in the Preseli area.
A later July meeting backed a general consultation to discontinue Cilgerran Church in Wales Voluntary Controlled School, and to establish it as a 3-11 community school.
“In particular, the review considered the extent of surplus school places in the area, set against a significant decline in the pupil population,” the council in its consultation has said.
The consultation closed on January 30.
Hundreds have opposed the proposed changes, with a petition, on the council’s own website opposing the changes recently closing after gaining 391 signatures.
Any petition of more than 100 signatures triggers a debate at one of the council’s scrutiny committees, in the case of Cilgerran that debate taking place at Pembrokeshire County Council’s February 5 schools and learning overview and scrutiny committee.
The Cilgerran e-petition, created by Louise Williams, raised concerns including the school could become part of a federation, a loss of permanent head teacher on site, a shared head teacher would have to oversee several schools, loss of funding control and the ability to maintain the school’s current healthy and stable funding, and a loss of commitment to the church, in turn could impact on the school’s and pupils values, beliefs and cultural beliefs.
It said: “Ysgol Cilgerran VC school has strong links with the Church community in Cilgerran and we believe this will have a negative impact on the children who attend the school, the community of Cilgerran and the links between the two.
“We are proud of our school ethos and values which are strengthened by our links with the church. The school has close and strong relationships with our Church in Wales federation governors one of which is also our safeguarding governor.
“Our Church Federation governors work closely with the school and are regular visitors to the school and the children. They provide vital support and guidance to the school and have a positive impact on the Children’s education. We believe these links will be weakened by this proposal to remove our VC status and we believe this is an un-necessary action.”
The proposals for Cilgerran are part of a wide range of potential education changes in the county.
Two petitions, opposing the potential closures of Manorbier and Ysgol Clydau schools, were recently heard at full council and a further petition opposing the potential closure of Stepaside School has recently been launched, which has generated enough support to be heard at a future council meeting.
Charity
Vincent Davies raises £13,682 for air ambulance charity
Independent Haverfordwest store backs lifesaving crews with year of community fundraising
A WEST WALES department store has raised more than thirteen thousand pounds for a lifesaving emergency service after a packed year of community fundraising.
Staff at Vincent Davies Department Store collected £13,682 for the Wales Air Ambulance Charity, after voting the organisation their Charity of the Year for 2025.
The independent retailer organised events throughout the year, including an Easter bingo, bake sales, quizzes, raffles, staff sales, Christmas jumper days and a festive wreath-making workshop. Charity jam jars placed in Café Vincent also helped gather steady donations from customers.
One of the most popular attractions was the store’s charity singing penguin trio, which drew smiles from shoppers of all ages and boosted collections.
Sarah John, Joint Managing Director at Vincent Davies, said: “Raising £13,682 for the Wales Air Ambulance Charity is something we are extremely proud of at Vincent Davies Department Store. As a director, it’s wonderful to see our community come together to support a charity that makes such a lifesaving difference.”
The air ambulance is consultant-led, delivering hospital-level treatment directly at the scene of serious incidents and, when needed, transferring patients straight to the most appropriate specialist hospital.
Working in partnership with the NHS through the Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service, crews can provide advanced critical care including anaesthesia, blood transfusions and even minor surgical procedures before reaching hospital.
Operating across the whole of Wales, its teams travel the length and breadth of the country by helicopter and rapid response vehicle to reach patients quickly in both rural and urban areas.
This is not the first time the Haverfordwest store has backed the cause. In 2016, staff previously raised £5,831 when the charity was also chosen as their beneficiary.
Mike May, the charity’s West Wales Regional Fundraising Manager, said: “We are so grateful to Vincent Davies Department Store for raising an incredible amount for our charity. Throughout the year they put on a variety of different events and what a successful fundraising year it was.
“The charity needs to raise £13 million every year to keep our helicopters in the air and our rapid response vehicles on the road. By raising £13,682, the staff and customers have played an important part in saving lives across Wales.”
The store says it will announce its Charity of the Year for 2026 in the coming weeks.
Community
Councillor meets chief constable to address Monkton and Pembroke concerns
COUNTY COUNCILLOR Jonathan Grimes has met with the new Chief Constable of Dyfed-Powys Police to discuss crime, antisocial behaviour and wider community issues affecting residents in Pembroke and Monkton.
Cllr Grimes, who represents Pembroke St Mary South and Monkton, said the meeting followed his invitation for senior police leaders to visit the area and hear first-hand about local concerns.
The Chief Constable, Ifan Charles, attended alongside officers from the Pembroke Neighbourhood Policing and Protection Team, meeting the councillor in Monkton for what were described as open and constructive talks.
As part of the visit, they also spoke with Monkton Priory Community Primary School headteacher Dylan Lawrence and Danny Nash from Pembrokeshire County Council Housing Services to gather views from education and housing professionals.
Discussions covered a range of issues raised by residents, including domestic abuse, drug and alcohol misuse, antisocial behaviour and environmental concerns such as littering, dog fouling and dangerous or inconsiderate driving.
Cllr Grimes acknowledged recent police successes, particularly in tackling drug-related activity, but said enforcement alone would not solve the area’s challenges.
He said closer cooperation between the police, council services, schools and the wider community would be needed to deliver longer-term improvements.
The councillor added that he plans to encourage residents to form a local community group in the coming weeks, aimed at developing practical solutions and strengthening partnership working across the area.
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