Children kept inside as officers deal with trouble close to Priory Road centre amid growing fears over youth violence

A YOUTH club in Milford Haven was forced to lock its doors with children inside after staff called police to an incident nearby, in a disturbing episode that has left many local people deeply concerned.

The incident happened on Wednesday evening (Apr 22) near Milford Youth Centre on Priory Road, next to The Meads leisure facilities.

Dyfed-Powys Police have now confirmed that the youth club itself was not the scene of the trouble, but that staff took the decision to secure the building while officers dealt with what was happening a short distance away.

In a statement issued to The Pembrokeshire Herald, police said: “Staff at Milford Youth Centre called police due to an incident a short distance away on 22nd April and locked themselves and youth club attendees inside while police dealt with the matter. Young people attending the youth club were not involved in the incident and as soon as it was deemed safe the building was reopened.”

That statement is likely to reassure parents whose children were inside at the time, but it still leaves key questions unanswered about exactly what unfolded nearby, who was involved, and whether any arrests were made.

Before police responded, concern had already been spreading rapidly across Milford Haven through local social media posts and messages sent to The Herald.

A number of those reports claimed that a group of masked youths had been seen in the Priory Road and Trafalgar Road area at around 6:00pm. Some posts alleged that one of the group may have been carrying a knife, although that has not been confirmed by police.

Other local accounts said youths had been seen running through The Meads car park, while one witness claimed that some had earlier climbed onto the roof of the old telephone exchange building nearby. Another account alleged that a member of staff had been subjected to abuse.

Taken individually, some of those claims remain unverified. Taken together, however, they paint a picture of a chaotic and intimidating situation which was serious enough for youth workers to lock down the centre while police attended.

What is clear from the police statement is that staff acted quickly, that the young people inside the club were not involved, and that the building was only reopened once officers judged it safe to do so.

The incident has attracted intense local attention because of heightened nerves over youth disorder and knife-related violence in Pembrokeshire. Earlier this month, four youths aged 13 to 17 suffered stab wounds during serious disorder at Tenby railway station, prompting a major police response and renewed concern about violence involving young people in the county.

In that context, even an incident which ends without confirmed injuries or arrests is enough to send shockwaves through a community already on edge.

Parents, residents and youth workers will now want fuller answers about what happened near the centre, whether those responsible have been identified, and what steps are being taken to prevent further incidents of this kind.

Superintendent Chris Neve returned to frontline duties to work alongside his 19-year-old daughter, PC Abi Neve, in a shift the force said neither will forget

DYFED-POWYS POLICE have shared the story of a father-and-daughter response team who recently worked side by side on duty.

Superintendent Chris Neve stepped back onto the frontline for the shift, joining his daughter, PC Abi Neve, as part of Response Policing Week.

The force said Abi grew up listening to her father’s stories about policing and was inspired to follow the same path, often imagining how rewarding it would be to help people in need.

Speaking about the experience, Abi said: “Before work that day, he was just my dad, but as soon as our shift began, he became my boss and my colleague.

“He has always looked after me since I was born, so it was nice for me to be able to have his back, if needed, for a change.”

Dyfed-Powys Police said it was a moment Chris had long been looking forward to.

Reflecting on the shift, he said working alongside his daughter while supporting victims brought comfort in difficult situations.

He added that while there are times a parent wonders whether their child is still too young, Abi was more than capable of handling herself on response.

Chris said he was proud of the woman she had become and was looking forward to hearing more of her stories as her policing career continues.

The force described the pair as the “ultimate response father/daughter duo” and said it was a shift that would stay with both officers long after Response Policing Week came to an end.

Photo caption:

Family shift: Superintendent Chris Neve and PC Abi Neve on duty together for Dyfed-Powys Police during Response Policing Week (Pic: Dyfed-Powys Police).

Pembroke Dock defendant faces charges spanning from 1984 to 2008

A MAN from Pembroke Dock is standing trial at Swansea Crown Court accused of a series of historic sexual offences alleged to have taken place over a 24-year period.

Anthony Kenniford, of Britannia Drive, denies 13 counts including indecent assault, indecency with a child, rape, attempted rape, and sexual activity with a child.

The trial is being heard before His Honour Judge Geraint Walters. Kenniford has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The jury was told that the indictment now before the court runs from 1984 to 2008 and gives fuller particulars of the allegations than at the earlier magistrates’ court stage.

Some counts relate to allegations said to have taken place between May 1984 and May 1986. Further counts concern alleged offences said to have occurred between April 1984 and April 1988.

The court also heard allegations dating from between January 2000 and November 2003, including claims of indecency with a child, indecent assault, rape and attempted rape. Additional counts relate to alleged offences said to have taken place between September 2000 and August 2003, while the most recent allegation on the indictment concerns sexual activity with a child between April and September 2008.

Opening the case, the prosecution alleged Kenniford targeted boys known to him over a number of years, including family members and friends of his son.

The jury heard allegations of grooming behaviour, with claims that some of the boys were offered money or gifts, and in some cases exposed to sexualised behaviour and pornography before or during the alleged abuse.

One of the first complainants referred to in the prosecution case was a young relative who, the jury heard, alleged that Kenniford invited him into bed at his grandparents’ home before touching him indecently. The court was also told of a further allegation that, on another occasion, the boy was invited into the defendant’s home, where it is alleged he was offered money to touch the defendant sexually.

Further allegations concern another complainant, who the jury heard was between the ages of seven and ten at the time of the alleged offences. The court was told that this complainant alleges he was asked to engage in sexual acts at the defendant’s address and that years later a text message was received which allegedly referred back to the earlier abuse.

The prosecution also outlined allegations involving the defendant’s son, who the jury heard was a child at the time. It is alleged that incidents took place over a number of years in the family home, including in the bathroom, and that the abuse escalated to rape and attempted rape.

Another complainant, described as a friend of the defendant’s son, alleges he was abused in a garage after becoming friendly with the family. The jury heard claims that he was shown pornographic material, indecently assaulted, and given gifts including money and computer games.

A further complainant alleges that, in 2008, after becoming friendly with the defendant’s son, he received inappropriate messages and was later taken to the defendant’s home, where sexual activity allegedly took place in the garage.

During proceedings, jurors heard a recorded police interview conducted in June 2021 with one complainant, who described what he said were his earliest memories of abuse from the age of five.

In that interview, the complainant alleged he was taken from the area of the Red Roses pub in Pembroke Dock to the Fire House on Co-operation Terrace, where he said he was offered small amounts of money to remove his clothes and spend time with the defendant.

The complainant later gave evidence before the jury and appeared visibly distressed at times during questioning. He forcefully rejected the defence case and insisted the events described were not something he could have forgotten.

The jury also heard from another complainant, who similarly rejected suggestions put to him by the defence and described the defendant as a “bad man”.

Family witnesses also gave evidence. One witness told the court that, in 2021, her brother disclosed that he had been abused as a child. Another witness said concerns had been raised within the family many years earlier, when children were said to have complained that the defendant had asked to see their genitals.

The court heard that Kenniford was first arrested on May 12, 2021. In police interview, he denied allegations made against him.

Kenniford previously appeared before magistrates, where earlier historic allegations were sent to Swansea Crown Court because of their seriousness. At that stage he denied the accusations and was granted conditional bail, including a condition that he must not contact the complainants.

The trial is expected to last two weeks and continues at Swansea Crown Court.

The complainants cannot be identified for legal reasons.