SOUTH WALES POLICE have confirmed they have arrested four prison officers this morning at HMP Parc Prison in Bridgend, which houses many inmates from Pembrokeshire, following reports of a series of misconduct incidents. The officers, a 23-year-old woman from Bridgend, a 45-year-old man from Pontycymer, a 25-year-old man from Merthyr, and a 35-year-old man from Llanelli, were detained on suspicion of assault and misconduct in public office.

Detective Chief Inspector Dean Taylor stated that the investigation is in its early stages, and officers are working closely with G4S, the private firm managing the prison. The arrests come after concerns were raised on Wednesday, September 18, regarding the conduct of prison staff. Investigations are ongoing.

This arrest occurs just one day after Welsh Social Justice Minister Jane Hutt announced that HMP Parc was “much more stable” following the appointment of a new director in June 2024. The minister’s comments were part of broader praise for recent management improvements in the facility, which has been under scrutiny following a spate of inmate deaths, including four related to drug misuse.

The prison, managed by G4S, has been facing increasing concerns over safety, staff shortages, and allegations of misconduct. Calls for greater oversight have intensified, with today’s arrests further spotlighting the challenges at the institution.

G4S has been contacted for a comment.

WELSH tourism leaders have once again found themselves in the position where they have to ask a new First Minister to appoint a Minister with explicit responsibility for Tourism, following the recent Cabinet reshuffle.

The Wales Tourism Alliance, together with the Chairs of Welsh Government’s own Regional Tourism Fora wrote to Eluned Morgan when it was unclear what had happened to the express reference to a tourism Minister or Deputy Minister as in the past. The letter was also signed by Wales’s main independent destination management and marketing organisations; Visit Mid Wales, Visit North Wales and Visit Pembrokeshire. Representatives of the primary sectors within the industry, notably accommodation, added their signatures, as did representatives of the rural and retail economies of Wales.

Suzy Davies, Chair of the Wales Tourism Alliance said: “It’s a shame we have to make this case yet again. Unlike other nations of the UK, responsibility for tourism as an industry – it’s not just promotion – is retained within Welsh Government. It’s not an arms length body with the ability to make its own partnerships to raise money, or with a route to change leadership without a Senedd election.

“As a result it needs a Minister who has the time and focus to lead, find resources, accept accountability and champion the industry at Cabinet level.

“In the meantime, we welcome Rebecca Evans to her role as Cabinet Secretary for the Economy and look forward to meeting her soon. Tourism has faced yet another difficult year, with the poor weather really not helping to extend the season on top of well-rehearsed challenges around the cost of doing business, the pressure in holidaymakers’ own purses, and a slew of government policies, so we need that champion within Welsh Government.

‘’It will also be a chance for us to reinforce our position that the relationship between governments and the tourism industry should not be about setting fires and putting them out. It’s less exhausting and more productive to give weight to industry voices as we saw during lockdown. We all want our industry to prosper safely, sustainably and responsibly.

“We also hope that looking at policy through the lens of the economy rather than the finance brief will be a help in understanding the value of the tourism ecosystem; its role in a number of areas of government policy, and why it’s so important to protect it from collateral damage as well focusing on Visit Wales’s much-appreciated promotion work.”

THERE was a multi-agency response following an incident at a Haverfordwest supermarket on Thursday (Sept 19).

The Wales Air Ambulance, the Welsh Ambulance Service and Dyfed-Powys Police were all called to the Aldi store at Salutation Square, Haverfordwest.

A Wales Air Ambulance spokesperson told The Pembrokeshire Herald: “The Wales Air Ambulance attended an incident in the Haverfordwest area yesterday. Our Dafen-based crew attended by helicopter and arrived on scene at 17:30. Our involvement concluded at 18:17.”

A Dyfed-Powys Police spokesperson said that officers were called to the scene by the Welsh Ambulance Service just after 5pm following a request from the Welsh Ambulance Service.

Aldi said that the store was able to remain open whist the emergency services dealt with the incident.