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Protecting the protectors: An inside look into the service supporting the frontline of Dyfed-Powys Police

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POLICE officers give their all to protect their communities – running towards danger as others run away, supporting victims and families in their darkest hours, and seeing unimaginable scenes.

But who is there for the protectors when they need back-up?

As part of Mental Health Awareness Week, Dyfed-Powys Police is sharing an insight into a previously unseen side of the force – the work the counselling service carries out in guiding officers and staff through their own struggles.

From officers painstakingly combing crime scenes for vital evidence, and investigators trawling through thousands of images on digital devices, to colleagues balancing the pressure between work and home life, Counsellor Samantha Davies and a team of 13 others around the force are there to offer guidance and support.

And Samantha explained the service is often most needed when officers least expect it.

“We often see officers who have got 20 or 30 years’ experience and don’t understand why an incident has affected them,” she said.

“Say you have an officer who has dealt with atrocities for 30-plus years, and suddenly they find themselves crying over something small. They think they’ve gone mad.

“Of course they haven’t – it’s the weight of what they’ve dealt with over the course of their career.

“It usually goes that they say they’ve dealt with worse things, they’ve seen worse things, and they don’t understand why this particular incident has bothered them.

“We work closely with them to find the trigger. It might be something in their past that they haven’t dealt with, there might be similarities with this job, or this latest incident is simply the straw that breaks the camel’s back.”

While there are formal mechanisms in place to support officers who have dealt with traumatic incidents – being the first on scene at a murder, a sudden death, or a fatal collision, for example – the need for the counselling team might come from wider impacts of the job.

The challenges of dealing with a long term investigation, months spent in exposed conditions looking for evidence, or long night shifts guarding scenes of crime to ensure evidence isn’t lost can take their toll.

As part of her role, Samantha ensures she is readily available to officers working in difficult conditions – visiting investigation sites regularly to offer support.

“It’s not always the things they’ve seen – it can be problems at home, or the pressure of being away from home for weeks on end,” she said.

“One of the biggest things we see in the counselling room is guilt. We help officers to work through this, and give them the tools to help themselves.

“With the ongoing operation in Carmarthen, before the COVID-19 restrictions were put in place, I was making sure I was on site twice a week, every week, with the force chaplain and our in-house Occupational Health Specialist team so they could see we were there if they needed us,” she said.

“Being on a site day in day out isn’t easy – if we can be there for a chat in the canteen, help clear the plates away, then officers get to know what we can offer, and are more likely to get in touch if they do need support.

“They might not need us during that particular investigation – it might be months or years down the line – but by meeting us at that time, they know we’re here.”

While Samantha sometimes faces reluctance from officers in accepting that they need a counselling session, she is able to strip away layers of bravado from those saving face from their colleagues.

“You do get a bit of banter between some officers – particularly when we carry out specialist unit reviews,” she said. “They’ll be in the waiting room making jokes about it, but when they come in, it changes.

“They might be worried that their line manager has to know they’ve had a session, or that I could take their firearms license away, for example, but that’s not what I’m here for. Once they realise what we’re about – that we’re not candles and whale music – they start to open up about things.

Nearly a year into her position at Dyfed-Powys Police, Samantha is realising a career dream stemming from her childhood, growing up in a policing family.

“My dad was an officer for 30 years,” she said. “When I was young, he used to tell me lots of gory stories, which I loved, and they gave me an insight and understanding into what they face.

“While he told me what he’d seen, he would never tell my mum. She didn’t work for the force, and he didn’t want to burden her with the things he had seen – that’s still true of officers today. They carry the weight of what they have seen and heard on shift, and often have nobody to offload to.

“He fully supported me when I said I wanted to be a counsellor. He was old fashioned, and would say in front of others that people need to pull their socks up, but quietly he would sit with me and say that things had changed since he left the job. They used to go to the pub and talk things through – he knew that didn’t happen anymore, and that people need somewhere to talk.

“I absolutely love my role. When someone says they wouldn’t have got through something without support, it absolutely humbles me. It brings me to tears.”

Crime

Pembroke Dock resident faces court over dog control breaches

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PHILIP Murray, 52, of 11 Picton Place, Pembroke Dock, will appear at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (Nov 14) to face several charges of breaching a community protection notice. The notice, issued under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, required Murray to control his dogs in response to repeated disturbances.

The charges relate to incidents from May to September 2024, when Murray allegedly failed to comply with the restrictions set out in a notice issued on January 3, 2024. Court documents state that despite multiple warnings, Murray continued to disregard the order, leading to ongoing issues linked to his dogs’ behaviour.

If found guilty, Murray could face a Level 4 fine for each offence. The hearing is scheduled to take place from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm in Courtroom 1, presided over by the Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire Adult Panel.

The case underscores the role of community protection notices in addressing persistent anti-social behavior.

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Crime

Cilgerran driver banned for drug use on Cardigan high street

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A CILGERRAN motorist appeared before a district judge after driving on Cardigan High Street under the influence of cannabis.

On May 3, police officers on patrol detected a strong smell of cannabis from a Volkswagen Golf driven by Kim Haynes, 40.

A drugs wipe returned a positive result, with subsequent tests showing Haynes had 3.4 mcg of Delta-9 Tetrahydrocannabinol in her blood, above the legal limit of 2.

Haynes, of Sun Cottage, Church Street, Cilgerran, pleaded guilty to driving over the specified drug-drive limit. She was fined and ordered to pay a total of £365, including costs and a court surcharge, and was disqualified from driving for 12 months.

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Crime

Motorist disqualified after cannabis-fuelled traffic collision

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A 21-YEAR-OLD driver has been disqualified after a traffic pile-up on the A40 following cannabis use.

Officers attended Arnold’s Hill, Slebech, on March 29 in response to a multi-vehicle collision involving Kayleigh Taylor, 21, whose Toyota Aygo was on the opposite carriageway.

“There was a smell of cannabis coming from the vehicle, so a drugs wipe was conducted, which returned a positive result,” said Crown Prosecutor Sian Vaughan. Further tests showed Taylor had 7.7 mcg of Delta-9 Tetrahydrocannabinol in her blood, above the legal limit of 2.

Taylor, of Princess Royal Way, Haverfordwest, admitted to driving over the specified drug-drive limit and possessing 266.1 grams of cannabis found in her vehicle.

District Judge Mark Layton sentenced her to a 12-month community order with 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days. She was disqualified from driving for 17 months, fined £80, and ordered to pay a £114 court surcharge and £85 costs.

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