THE PROPOSED precept for Dyfed Powys Police will be put under scrutiny at the first meeting of the Dyfed Powys Police and Crime Panel in 2025.

Panel members will meet on Friday 24 January 2025 at County Hall in Haverfordwest to discuss the precept and challenge Police and Crime Commissioner Dafydd Llywelyn on his budget plans for the coming year.

The panel, made up of members nominated by the four councils in the force area plus two independent members, has the power to approve or veto the proposed police precept.

Local policing is funded from a Home Office grant, as well as contributions from the public via the Council Tax, known as the police precept.

During the meeting Mr Llywelyn will inform the panel of the findings of a recent public consultation on police funding.

Panel Chair, Professor Ian Roffe, said: “As a Police and Crime Panel, it is our role to scrutinise the Police and Crime Commissioner’s proposed precept to ensure that his financial budget is balanced and appropriate to serve the communities of Carmarthenshire, Powys, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion. We are all acutely aware of the financial pressure upon households and it is incredibly important, therefore, that the Police and Crime Panel seek assurances that any increase in residents’ taxes reflect good value for their money.”

Visit www.dppoliceandcrimepanel.wales for more information about the Panel, its membership, forthcoming meeting dates, agendas and webcasting links, as well as submitting questions for the Panel to put to the Commissioner.

Questions can be submitted online, or in writing at [email protected] at least 10 days before a meeting.

PEMBROKESHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL has launched a draft environmental strategy outlining proposals for the future of waste and recycling, street cleansing, and green spaces in the county. Members of the public are being encouraged to provide feedback on the Draft Environmental Services Strategy 2025-2030.

Over the last 20 years, the council has implemented several changes, regularly earning its place among the top-performing councils in Wales for recycling. However, a detailed analysis of household waste in 2022 revealed that 48% of materials found in black bags could still be recycled.

The new strategy proposes improvements such as introducing additional recycling streams at the kerbside and changes to residual waste collections (black bags).

Call for public feedback

Cllr Rhys Sinnett, Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services, said:
“The aim of the strategy is to review the best available options for Pembrokeshire to meet its environmental aspirations of reducing waste and encouraging recycling, reuse, and repair, as well as improving the local environment.

“Considering your views is an essential part of the Council’s decision-making process, and we are open to ideas from households and businesses to help deliver the Environmental Services Strategy.”

Key priorities of the strategy

The strategy focuses on delivering four main priorities:

1. Improving prevention and reuse of resources
   • Reduce the overall waste generated per household.
   • Enhance reuse options through Waste and Recycling Centres.
2. Building on recycling performance to align with the circular economy and Net Zero goals
   • Continue meeting statutory recycling targets.
   • Expand kerbside recycling services to make recycling more accessible and promote material circularity.
   • Review residual waste collections (including the potential for four-weekly collections) to reduce waste, increase recycling income, and cut disposal costs.
3. Enhancing the sustainability of streets, beaches, and green spaces
   • Provide sustainable and cost-effective solutions to maintain and improve the quality of public spaces.
   • Boost ecological resilience with biodiversity preservation projects, habitat protection, and climate change adaptation initiatives.
4. Driving engagement and compliance through behaviour change
   • Deliver effective communication and engagement programmes.
   • Support households and businesses in recycling and waste management.
   • Encourage recycling at home, work, and “on the go.”
   • Combat enviro-crime, including fly-tipping and littering.

How to have your say

Residents can share their views by completing the online response form on the council’s website. Those who require a paper copy can call the Customer Contact Centre on 01437 764551 or email [email protected].

The closing date for responses is February 19, 2025.

A COURT has heard how two drug dealers were caught trafficking cocaine with a street value of up to £2,000 to an addict in Steynton.

On the morning of July 31, 2024, officers stopped a silver Mercedes on the A477 westbound as it travelled from Swansea into Pembrokeshire. The vehicle was driven by Leslie Thomas, 65, with dealer Adam Idris, 42, in the passenger seat.

A search of the car uncovered 13.6 grams of cocaine, with a purity of 74%, wrapped in small plastic bags. The drugs, hidden in a compartment under the driver’s seat, had an estimated street value of £1,360 to £1,700 in the Dyfed-Powys Police division area.

Officers also discovered a handwritten note containing the address of Jessie Thompson, a 30-year-old addict, who was expecting the delivery at her home in Plas Peregrine, Steynton. When police visited the property, Thompson was described as “noncompliant and intoxicated through drugs.”

Surveillance and phone evidence

Further investigations revealed that Thomas’ silver Mercedes had made two return trips between Swansea and Milford Haven on July 2 and July 24. Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) checks also linked the car to journeys to Haverfordwest and Thompson’s home.

Mobile phone analyses showed 105 calls between Idris and Thompson from June 21 to June 30, with the last call made the day before the arrest. During the call, Idris asked if Thompson would be “about.” A map application on Thomas’ phone confirmed visits to Thompson’s address on July 24.

A search of Thompson’s property uncovered drug paraphernalia, including crack foil, several snap bags, and digital scales containing cocaine residue.

Debt and coercion

During a police interview, Thompson claimed she was contacted by an unidentified caller, later identified as Idris, who asked her to sell drugs.

“He’d heard that [Thompson] could shift drugs,” said prosecutor James Hartson. “She was told she didn’t have to pay up front and could sell the drugs on credit. Her debt eventually reached £6,000, which she tried to clear by selling drugs to fund her addiction. She kept a baseball bat at her home for protection.”

Sentences handed down

Idris and Thompson both pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine and cocaine possession. Idris also admitted possession with intent to supply cocaine. Thomas, of George Street, Neath, pleaded guilty to cocaine possession.

Idris was sentenced to 50 months in custody. Thomas received 29 months. Thompson was handed a 20-month sentence, suspended for 24 months. She was also ordered to complete 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days and 150 hours of unpaid work.