Crime
Dyfed-Powys among safest areas in UK for gun crime
DYFED-POWYS has been named as one of the safest police force areas in the UK for firearm offences, with new figures showing only 20 cases recorded across the region in the past year.
The latest UK Weapon Ownership Report, compiled by security experts Get Licensed, reveals that Dyfed-Powys sits in joint fourth place for the lowest number of firearm offences per capita, alongside Cambridgeshire. Both forces recorded just four offences per 100,000 people between April 2023 and March 2024.
The safest area in the country was Suffolk, with just 11 firearm offences during the same period. By contrast, Cleveland and West Yorkshire topped the table, each recording 26 offences per 100,000 residents.
Pembrokeshire context
The figures will come as reassurance to residents across Pembrokeshire, where concerns about violent crime have risen in recent years. The county, alongside Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Powys, falls under the Dyfed-Powys Police force area.
With Pembrokeshire’s economy heavily reliant on tourism, safety figures such as these are likely to be welcomed by both local people and visitors alike.
Wider picture
Across England and Wales more than 6,000 firearm offences are recorded annually. The Metropolitan Police registered the highest total, with 1,248 offences, but the capital ranked lower on a per-capita basis due to its large population.
The report also highlights broader trends in gun ownership. While the total number of firearm certificates has dropped over the past decade – from 153,603 in 2014/15 to 145,306 in 2024/25 – per-capita ownership is now at its highest level in years, with more than 1,000 certificates per 100,000 people.
Notably, 66 children under 13 currently hold shotgun licences, and nearly 1,000 teenagers aged 14–17 are licensed to own firearms or shotguns.
Rural forces
North Yorkshire, another rural police force area, has the highest rate of legal firearms certificates, with 6,588 issued last year. By comparison, Dyfed-Powys recorded one of the lowest firearm offence rates, underlining the contrast between rural and urban areas when it comes to gun crime.
The report concludes that while firearm-related crime remains relatively rare outside of major cities, continued monitoring of illegal possession and safe storage of legal weapons will be key to maintaining low levels in counties such as Pembrokeshire.
Crime
Two arrested after high-value shoplifting incident in Kilgetty
TWO men have been arrested on suspicion of shoplifting following a rapid police response to a reported high-value theft at a supermarket in Kilgetty.
Dyfed-Powys Police said officers were called to the Co-op store at around 3.35pm on Wednesday (Jan 28), after a report that a large quantity of alcohol and other items had been stolen.
Using information provided by the caller, Roads Policing Unit officers worked closely with control room staff to identify a vehicle believed to be involved. Several patrol cars were deployed, and the vehicle was located a short time later travelling east.
Police said the safety of all those involved was treated as a priority, with specialist Tactical Pursuit and Containment (TPAC) advice obtained while officers maintained constant observation of the vehicle.
The car was brought to a safe stop on a back road approaching Hendy, involving three Roads Policing Unit vehicles. No injuries or damage were reported.
Following roadside checks, two men — aged 67 and 46 — were arrested on suspicion of theft from a shop.
Both remain in police custody while enquiries continue.
Police said the swift response helped prevent further offending and demonstrated the effectiveness of specialist roads policing officers acting on real-time intelligence.
Business
Eight-year prison sentence after vehicle stop uncovers drugs worth over £150,000
A ROUTINE vehicle stop by roads policing officers has led to an eight-year prison sentence after more than £150,000 worth of illegal drugs were discovered in a car in Pembrokeshire.
On Friday, January 2, officers from the Roads Policing Unit stopped a grey Seat Ateca on Hoyland Road, Pembroke. The vehicle was being driven by 43-year-old Dean Evans.
During the stop, Evans told officers they would find “stuff” in the car. He and the vehicle were subsequently searched under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
A search of the boot uncovered a cardboard box containing a one-kilogram block of cocaine and ten half-kilogram packages of herbal cannabis. The street value of the drugs was estimated to be well in excess of £150,000.
Evans was arrested at the scene on suspicion of possession with intent to supply controlled drugs. He was later charged with possession with intent to supply Class A and Class B drugs.
The 43-year-old pleaded guilty at Swansea Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, January 3.
On Thursday, January 28, Evans was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court to eight years’ imprisonment for possession with intent to supply cocaine and cannabis.
DC Jones, from Dyfed-Powys Police’s Serious Organised Crime Unit, said: “Tackling the supply of illegal drugs is a priority for Dyfed-Powys Police, and the misery that illegal drugs bring to local communities will not be tolerated.
“We welcome the sentence passed to Dean Evans, given the large quantity of harmful drugs he was caught trafficking into Pembrokeshire.
“This sentence should serve as a stark warning to anyone tempted to become involved in the illegal drugs trade in Dyfed and Powys.”
Crime
Former soldier jailed for stalking police officer over past arrest
Defendant tracked down officer’s home address and sent threatening messages
A FORMER serviceman has been sent to prison after tracking down and harassing a police officer who had arrested him two years earlier.
Gareth Nicholas, aged 41, from Waunarlwydd in Swansea, targeted the officer by discovering his home address and sending a threatening message via Facebook, Swansea Crown Court heard.
The officer had been part of a police team that executed a Scottish arrest warrant at Nicholas’s home in May 2023. Two years later, in August 2025, the officer received an unexpected friend request on social media, followed shortly afterwards by a message that immediately caused concern.
The message began with the words “I found you” and accused the officer of unlawfully entering Nicholas’s property, assaulting him while he was in his underwear, and “abducting” him. Nicholas also claimed he had identified a pattern of corrupt behaviour within the police and issued a veiled threat, stating: “I will catch you down the Liberty son. Look forward to it,” a reference to Swansea City’s former stadium.
The situation escalated further days later when a handwritten letter was delivered to the officer’s former address. The new occupant contacted the officer to alert him to the letter, which repeated allegations of corruption and suggested the matter could be dropped if the officer assisted in exposing alleged police misconduct.
Nicholas was arrested on September 3 and admitted sending the communications, but denied at the time that his actions amounted to stalking.
In evidence, the officer told the court that while he had faced verbal abuse during his policing career, this incident felt different and deeply personal. He said his family installed CCTV cameras, security lighting and fencing, and put safety plans in place for their children. He added that he feared Nicholas had not let go of his perceived injustice and remained concerned the behaviour could continue.
The court heard Nicholas has a substantial criminal record in Scotland between 2019 and 2024, including convictions for stalking, malicious communications, threatening behaviour, domestic abuse offences and possession of ammunition without a licence.
Sentencing Nicholas, Judge Huw Rees acknowledged the trauma the defendant had experienced during military service, but warned him not to repeat the behaviour.
Nicholas, who appeared unrepresented, pleaded guilty to stalking and was sentenced to 20 weeks in prison, reduced by 20 per cent for his early guilty plea. Having already served time on remand, his release is expected shortly. He was also made subject to a five-year restraining order banning any contact with the officer.
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