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Improved chopper cover for cops

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Improvements: Dyfed-Powys police helicopter service

Improvements: Dyfed-Powys
police helicopter service

THE PEOPLE of Dyfed-Powys are to get better police cover from the air. New arrangements will see a helicopter continue to be based at Pembrey in Carmarthenshire, with new cover also available from elsewhere. Police and Crime Commissioner Christopher Salmon said: “This is great news for communities across our four counties. I’ve been determined for this police force to improve air cover across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Powys. This force covers a huge area – more than half of Wales – and policing locations so far apart brings unique challenges.”

Mr Salmon and Chief Constable Simon Prince have spent several months working towards a deal with the new National Police Air Service (NPAS) which is being rolled out following a review of air support for England and Wales. The deal, due to take effect next year, will see Dyfed-Powys’s own helicopter remain at Pembrey then be replaced at the same airport by an Airbus EC135 helicopter owned and maintained by NPAS.

It will see air support for Dyfed- Powys drawn from multiple bases and with a number of aircraft. Emergency response will be provided from Pembrey and St Athan, near Cardiff, and the force will be able to call on support from NPAS helicopters at Rhuddlan, Denbighshire, and Halfpenny Green, Wolverhampton.

The new service will cost Dyfed- Powys Police around £890,000 a year. The existing service cost the force around £1.1m in 2013-14 and is budgeted to cost around £1.2m in 2014-15. Dyfed-Powys Chief Constable Simon Prince said: “The introduction of the NPAS helicopter will allow far greater mobility to the officers of Dyfed-Powys Police and ensure that residents in every corner of the force area will benefit from this improved resource.”

The air service helps with searches for missing people, suspects and vehicles, casualty evacuation, transporting specialist teams around Dyfed-Powys’s 4,188 square miles, gathering intelligence including using automatic number plate recognition and video.

A helicopter takes around 12 minutes to search a square mile at a cost of £160 – an operation that would take 12 police officers 454 hours at a cost of around £4,680. This year the Dyfed-Powys helicopter has played a major role in recovering property worth more than £120,000, locating 23 vulnerable and missing people, and transporting seven people with life threatening injuries to hospital. It played a key role, working with neighbourhood police teams, in closing down several drugs factories and supply chains.

Flying times include Pembrey to Aberystwyth in 24 minutes; the equivalent road journey of around 64 miles takes around 112 minutes. The Dyfed-Powys helicopter unit has provided an eye-in-the-sky service for 23 years. Led by Inspector Ian Richards and featuring a sergeant, two pilots and five observers, it operates a 10-year-old Agusta 109E Power helicopter. The new arrangements will see seven of Dyfed-Powys’s nine helicopter personnel transfer to NPAS.

They will cover Dyfed-Powys but will also fly outside the area. NPAS, being paid for by all forces in England and Wales, aims to deliver a cost-effective national, borderless service making use of the nearest aircraft. It aims to improve upon current response capability. Its aircraft will be available 24/7 and will be based at strategic locations around England and Wales.

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Crime

Unanimous verdict in Ceredigion sexual assault case

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A CEREDIGION man has been convicted to three years and six months in prison for sexually assaulting a woman in her own bed after the jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict.

27-year-old Suroj Bk, from Llangrannog, was sentenced this week following a week-long trial at Swansea Crown Court (May 1).

On 7 October 2023, Dyfed-Powys Police received a report that Bk entered the victim’s home and sexually assaulted her while she lay in her bed.

When the victim realised what was happening, she kicked Bk out of her bed and called the police.

Upon receiving the report, officers quickly attended the victim’s home and conducted a thorough search of the surrounding area using police dogs and scenes of crime officers.

Evidence gathered from scene, together with extensive local enquiries, led officers to arrest Suroj Bk the next day (8 October).

While Bk was in custody, detectives, crime scene investigators, and digital forensic officers worked tirelessly to uncover the evidence that ultimately placed Suroj Bk at the scene.

After hearing the evidence, the jury took less than two hours to agree a unanimous guilty verdict.

The detective in charge of the case has praised the victim for her ‘tremendous courage’ in reporting the assault to police.

“Incidents of this nature are thankfully very rare within Ceredigion, and I’d like to reassure the community that this was an isolated incident, and that the identification and arrest of suspect was done quickly and efficiently,” said Detective Inspector Sam Gregory. 

“The victim in this case demonstrated tremendous courage in reporting to police, and while this investigation was not straightforward in its nature, it was through the expertise and tenacity of forensic officers, working together with the investigation team, and the victim, that led to this successful prosecution.

“I hope the sentence given to Suroj Bk sends a clear and strong message that Dyfed-Powys Police takes reports of sexual offences seriously.

“We will listen to you, and we will work tirelessly to get justice.”

On Wednesday, 1 May 2024, Saroj Bk was sentenced to three years and six months in prison and a five-year restraining order, and he will be on the sex offenders register for life. 

If you have been a victim of a crime such as this, report it to Dyfed-Powys Police either through a direct message on social media, online at: https://www.dyfed-powys.police.uk/ro/report/rsa/alpha-v1/v1/rape-sexual-assault-other-sexual-offences/, by emailing [email protected], or by calling 101.

In an emergency, always call 999.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech impaired text the non-emergency number on 07811 311 908. Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555111, or visiting crimestoppers-uk.org.

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News

Body recovered confirmed to be Luke Stephenson, say police

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DYFED-POWYS police have said today that the body found on Wednesday, May 1, has been confirmed to be Luke Stephenson, who was reported missing from the Pembroke Dock area on April 14.

A spokesperson for the force said: “We will continue to support the family and will assist with issuing a tribute publicly if the family wish to do so.”

In a statement, his family said: “Luke was a joyful and funny young man and always wanted to help others. He was a loving son, brother, grandson and uncle, and will be forever missed. 
“We have lost a huge part of our family, and our loss is shared by his many friends who also loved him dearly. 
“We would like to thank the local community for the overwhelming support we have received.”

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Business

Port of Milford Haven now official ‘a great place to work’

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THE PORT of Milford Haven has been officially accredited as a Great Place to Work-Certified™ organisation. As the first Port Authority in Britain to secure this Certification™, it is a significant achievement.

“We are very proud to be Great Place to Work-Certified™,” said Vidette Swales, HR Director at the Port of Milford Haven. “It means so much that our employees have reported a consistently positive experience with their colleagues, their leaders and their jobs. Offering a positive employee experience is not only beneficial for the people who work with us but is also key for our continued business success.”

Tom Sawyer, CEO at the Port of Milford Haven added: “Our team is operating the UK’s leading energy port, and it is of the utmost importance that we do that safely, responsibly and effectively. We’re striving for excellence and aim to provide a world class service to our customers as well as supporting sustainable coastal communities for the prosperity of future generations. Our employees are clearly at the centre of this which is why I’m delighted that they feel supported in their role. I’m especially proud that this Certification™ demonstrates our core values of Safety, Excellence, Collaboration and Sustainability so perfectly.”

“We congratulate the Port of Milford Haven on achieving their Certification™,” said Benedict Gautrey, Managing Director of Great Place to Work® UK. “Organisations which put the employee experience at the heart of their business gain their employees’ trust and, in turn, are truly able to build a great workplace culture that delivers outstanding business results.”

Find out more about careers at the Port of Milford Haven here: www.mhpa.co.uk/about/careers-at-the-port/.

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