News

Chief inspector of Immigration to review use of Penally Training Camp

Published

5 years ago

January 26, 2021

THE CHIEF INSPECTOR of Borders and Immigration, Mr David Bolt, is to commence a review into the use of hotels and barracks in the UK, including the Penally Asylum camp.

It comes as Pembrokeshire County Council continues to seek a reimbursement for its involvement with the camp.

At Tuesday’s Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Councillor Jonathan Preston said it was ‘shocking’ that the home office was not engaging with the council and said that they should ‘keep knocking on the door’.

Cllr David Pugh added: “Let’s get the tanks out and start shooting some really heavy bullets at them (Home Office).”

It was confirmed at the meeting that there had still been no agreement with the Home Office on any repayments.

Camp residents protest in Penally (Image G Davies Photography / Herald )

Director of Finance Jon Haswell said that costs had been estimated at around £55,000 a month.

Cllr Pugh said it was ‘horrendous’ that the authority would be almost half a million pounds out of pocket.

Cllr Preston also questioned if Penally Community Council would be able to recover costs for the work they had done but officers said they would need to look into that matter.

The use of the camp is set to end on March 21 and it is anticipated that a planning application will be made to extend that use.

The council’s Head of Planning, David Popplewell said that if there were any breaches of planning conditions that they would be able to consider enforcement action.

He also clarified the two conditions of the use of the camp which state that the applicant must notify the planning authority after the commencement of the use and that it should be returned to its former state once it has ended.

Use of the site commenced on September 21, 2020 and a letter to the authority indicated that the applicants would be applying for a six-month extension.

Demo to support asylum seekers in Penally in 2020 (Photo Herald)

There would need to be a pre-application consultation and any application would go to the council’s Planning Committee.

Mr Popplewell added that he had been in touch with the planning consultant regularly but said that he hadn’t had a further response.

Director of Development, Dr Steven Jones confirmed that the Chief Inspector would be commencing a review into the use of hotels, barracks and asylum accommodation. He added that the call for evidence was open until February 19.

Councillors agreed that the matter should be brought back to the committee if and when the need arises.

Cllr Pugh also asked about the council’s response to the recent marches into Tenby by some of the camp users which caused some anxiety amongst residents worried about the spread of Covid-19.

Rooms in the camp are said to be too small for social distancing (Pic: Camp user)

Darren Thomas, Head of Infrastructure, Transport & Environment, said that it was a public order policing issue and that it was for them to decide how they should police it.

Cllr Pugh said he didn’t think that the council should be criticised as much as it had been on social media.

Discussions have been ongoing with other organisations about understanding and addressing the impact and rise of extremist activity upon the County.

The report to the committee also stated that there had been opposition to the camp being used by the asylum seekers and that there was also support for those supporting the asylum seekers.

Mr Thomas said that this was not a reference to any specific group and said that it was a general point.

The camp was originally set up for the use of 250 occupants but many of them complained about overcrowded conditions and some have already been moved.

At the time of the report being written, on January 8, there were 124 people still in the camp. At the meeting on Tuesday, Mr Thomas confirmed that as of January 21, that number had gone down to 118.

Transfers to and from the camp have been halted under the Welsh Government’s Alert Level 4 coronavirus restrictions, except for medical or safety reasons.

Crime

Neighbourhood policing boosted across Dyfed-Powys

Published

4 hours ago

March 20, 2026

Tom Sinclair

DYFED-POWYS POLICE has announced a significant expansion of its Neighbourhood Policing and Prevention Teams (NPPT), with more officers being deployed to frontline roles where demand is greatest.

From Monday (Mar 16), teams across the force area have been strengthened, with a renewed focus on tackling antisocial behaviour and preventing crime at its source.

The force says the move is aimed at reducing repeat demand by addressing the root causes of offending, rather than simply responding to incidents.

To achieve this, a number of officers have been redeployed from central departments back into frontline policing, while new posts are also being created to bolster capacity.

Temporary Chief Superintendent Steve Davies, head of uniform policing, said: “These changes are about increasing frontline visibility and ensuring we have the right resources in the right places.

“They form part of a wider programme of improvements across the force to enhance effectiveness and efficiency, while also supporting the wellbeing of our officers and staff.

“This is positive news for our communities, who will benefit from stronger neighbourhood teams focused on local priorities and proactive policing.”

The expansion has been made possible through Home Office funding under the Neighbourhood Guarantee scheme, which is designed to strengthen community safety and crime prevention.

Dyfed-Powys Police has been allocated £1.4 million for 2025/26, enabling the recruitment of police staff and freeing up officers previously in support roles to return to operational duties.

As a result, four sergeants and 29 police officers have now been reassigned to neighbourhood teams across the force.

Each NPPT area will also have a named officer, with full team details available via the ‘Your Area’ section of the Dyfed-Powys Police website.

The force has also secured early access to 2026/27 Neighbourhood Guarantee funding, which will see a further 12 officers recruited between April and the autumn—adding to overall officer numbers in the region.

Police and Crime Commissioner Dafydd Llywelyn said: “Neighbourhood policing is about more than numbers—it’s about relationships.

“Greater visibility helps build trust, strengthens community ties, and reassures the public that policing is present, responsive, and committed to keeping people safe.

“I remain committed to improving police visibility across our communities, and these additional officers will help turn that ambition into reality.”

Crime

Broad Haven man remanded in custody over sexual harm prevention order breach

Published

4 hours ago

March 20, 2026

Court Reporter

Defendant admitted using Xbox without informing police as required under court order

ANTHONY COOMBES, aged 26, of Sand Banks, Broad Haven, appeared before Llanelli Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (Mar 20) charged with breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

The court heard that between February 26 and March 19, 2026, at Haverfordwest, Coombes repeatedly breached the order by using an Xbox device without informing police within three days, as required.

The offences relate to a sexual harm prevention order imposed at Swansea Crown Court on October 20, 2021.

Coombes indicated guilty pleas to the offences at the first hearing.

Magistrates committed the case to Swansea Crown Court for sentence.

He was remanded in custody ahead of the next hearing, which is due to take place at 9:00am on Friday, April 3, at Swansea Crown Court.

The court refused bail on the grounds that he was likely to offend, citing the nature and seriousness of the offences and his previous record and character.

A pre-sentence report was ordered.