Crime

Recommendations on mental health support, substance mis-use and youth offending

Published

2 years ago

July 13, 2023

POLICE and Crime Commissioner Dafydd Llywelyn has published a report that has been prepared in collaboration with his Youth Forum, that analyses findings from their recent youth consultation titled Y Sgwrs.

Y Sgwrs (a Welsh title meaning ‘The Conversation’) asked young people living in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Powys and Pembrokeshire for their views and experiences of mental health support for young victims of crime, substance mis-use and youth offending. The consultation asked teenagers and young adults to explain what works, what doesn’t and how things might be improved.

The consultation included an online survey, focus groups held locally by Youth Forum members, and feedback from young people who were at the recent Urdd National Eisteddfod in Llandovery.

The report was shared with organisations and individuals who work with young people at a Youth Conference held by the Youth Forum and Police and Crime Commissioner, in Llanelli Carmarthenshire on 5^th of July, with the report now been made available to the wider public.

Individuals responding to the survey and the focus groups all discussed the role of school and colleges and considered whether they could do more to provide better access to career and training opportunities. Those that took part noted that more could be done to cater to wider opportunities. Many also commented on improving access to learning more life skills and a wider choice of work experience and careers advice.

PCC Dafydd Llywelyn’s office worked with Youth forum members to design a series of recommendations for both the Police and partner organisation to consider. They include;

Recommendation 1: Dyfed-Powys Police and the Office of Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) should increase social media posts to raise awareness of mental health and mental health support in the area. The police should share these items through social media and try to target a far-reaching audience.

Recommendation 2: Partners should raise awareness of their services and inform children and younger people of mental health services in the local area, how people can access support, and provide detailed information on the process of accessing the service.

Recommendation 3: Dyfed-Powys Police and its partners should work to improve its data sharing between agencies and organisations to ensure a child-centred approach.

Recommendation 4: Dyfed-Powys Police and its partners should aim to raise awareness of substance misuse services available for children and young people in the Force area.

Recommendation 5: Schools Police Officers should consider including information on, and visual aids of, long term effects of drug use when engaging with schools around substance misuse.

Recommendation 6: Schools Police Officers should consider working with the local health boards to create training for teaching staff within schools on substance misuse and the support available.

Recommendation 7: Dyfed-Powys Police should increase a positive relationship with children and young people by, for example, creating engagement events or open days, inviting children and young people to get to know the service. The Force should also consider sharing positive work in engaging with children and young people via social media for a wider reach.

Recommendation 8: Dyfed-Powys Police to raise awareness of the likely outcomes of low-level offences in children and young people so that they understand the consequences.

Recommendation 9: In response to this report and its recommendations, the Police and Crime Commissioner should support youth organisations and charities with funding requests. The Police & Crime Commissioner can offer funding directly in support of the delivery of Police and Crime Plan priorities.

Responding to the recommendations while also looking back at the discussions that took place at the Youth Conference, PCC Dafydd Llywelyn said; “I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all the incredible partners and young people who joined us at our Youth Conference last week. Together, we took a powerful step towards addressing crucial topics that impact our youth.

“The conference focused on the Y Sgwrs consultation that the Youth Forum has been working on over the last year with my Office, which focused on three key areas: mental health support, substance misuse, and youth offending.

“By working together with young people and local partners, we can explore innovative solutions and create a platform for open dialogue, ensuring the voices of young people are heard.

“I would like to thank every single young person who has taken part in this consultation. Your insights, ideas, and experiences will shape the future of our community, and we are grateful for your valuable contributions.

“I will now aim to work closely with the Force and key partners to respond accordingly to the recommendations highlighted in the report, so that we can break barriers, and support one another in creating a safer and healthier environment for our youth. Together, we can make a real difference!”

Kai Collins, one of the Dyfed-Powys Youth Forum members said; “Our report called Y Sgwrs, pulls together all of our findings from the survey. We want the Police and supporting services to read our report and consider its findings and recommendations in their current and future work.

“I have been a member of the Youth Forum since 2019, and throughout my time as an ambassador, I have felt a sense of belonging and change. I feel that our Youth Forum has had a great impact on the local areas and reach many people and shown them that the Police are not as scary as they are often made out to be. I feel that all the work we have done has helped educate so many young people and allowed them to express their views and opinions on what needs to be done”.

The Y Sgwrs Youth Consultation report can be download from the Dyfed-Powys Office of Police and Crime Commissioner’s website here.

Crime

Swansea man dies weeks after release from troubled HMP Parc: Investigation launched

Published

4 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Tom Sinclair

A SWANSEA man has died just weeks after being released from HMP Parc, the Bridgend prison now at the centre of a national crisis over inmate deaths and post-release failures.

Darren Thomas, aged 52, died on 13 November 2025 — less than a month after leaving custody. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) has confirmed an independent investigation into his death, which is currently listed as “in progress”.

Born on 9 April 1973, Mr Thomas had been under post-release supervision following a period at HMP/YOI Parc, the G4S-run prison that recorded seventeen deaths in custody in 2024 — the highest in the UK.

His last known legal appearance was at Swansea Crown Court in October 2024, where he stood trial accused of making a threatening phone call and two counts of criminal damage. During the hearing, reported by The Pembrokeshire Herald at the time, the court heard he made threats during a heated call on 5 October 2023.

Mr Thomas denied the allegations but was found guilty on all counts. He was sentenced to a custodial term, which led to his imprisonment at HMP Parc.

Parc: A prison in breakdown

HMP Parc has faced sustained criticism throughout 2024 and 2025. A damning unannounced inspection in January found:

Severe self-harm incidents up 190%
Violence against staff up 109%
Synthetic drugs “easily accessible” across wings
Overcrowding at 108% capacity

In the first three months of 2024 alone, ten men died at Parc — part of a wider cluster of twenty PPO-investigated deaths since 2022. Six occurred within three weeks, all linked to synthetic drug use.

Leaked staff messages in 2025 exposed a culture of indifference, including one officer writing: “Let’s push him to go tomorrow so we can drop him.”

Six G4S employees have been arrested since 2023 in connection with alleged assaults and misconduct.

The danger after release

Deaths shortly after release from custody are a growing national concern. Ministry of Justice data shows 620 people died while under community supervision in 2024–2025, with 62 deaths occurring within 14 days of release.

Short sentences — common at Parc — leave little time for effective rehabilitation or release planning. Homelessness, loss of drug tolerance and untreated mental-health conditions create a high-risk environment for those newly released.

The PPO investigates all such deaths to determine whether prisons or probation failed in their duties. Reports often take 6–12 months and can lead to recommendations.

A system at breaking point

The crisis at Parc reflects wider failures across UK prisons and probation. A July 2025 House of Lords report described the service as “not fit for purpose”. More than 500 people die in custody annually, with campaigners warning that private prisons such as Parc prioritise cost-cutting over care.

The PPO investigation into the death of Darren Thomas continues.

Crime

Woman stabbed partner in Haverfordwest before handing herself in

Published

5 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Court Reporter

A WOMAN who stabbed her partner during a drug-fuelled episode walked straight into Haverfordwest Police Station and told officers what she had done, Swansea Crown Court has heard.

Amy Woolston, 22, of Dartmouth Street in Milford Haven, arrived at the station at around 8:00pm on June 13 and said: “I stabbed my ex-partner earlier… he’s alright and he let me walk off,” prosecutor Tom Scapens told the court.

The pair had taken acid together earlier in the day, and Woolston claimed she believed she could feel “stab marks in her back” before the incident.

Police find victim with four wounds

Officers went to the victim’s home to check on him. He was not there at first, but returned shortly afterwards. He appeared sober and told police: “Just a couple of things,” before pointing to injuries on his back.

He had three stab or puncture wounds to his back and another to his bicep.

The victim said that when he arrived home from the shop, Woolston was acting “a bit shifty”. After asking if she was alright, she grabbed something from the windowsill — described as either a knife or a shard of glass — and stabbed him.

He told officers he had “had worse from her before”, did not support a prosecution, and refused to go to hospital.

Defendant has long history of violence

Woolston pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding. The court heard she had amassed 20 previous convictions from 10 court appearances, including assaults, battery, and offences against emergency workers.

Defending, Dyfed Thomas said Woolston had longstanding mental health problems and had been off medication prescribed for paranoid schizophrenia at the time.
“She’s had a difficult upbringing,” he added, saying she was remorseful and now compliant with treatment.

Woolston was jailed for 12 months, but the court heard she has already served the equivalent time on remand and will be released imminently on a 12-month licence.

Crime

Banned for 40 months after driving with cocaine breakdown product in blood

Published

9 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Sarah-Jane Absalom

A MILFORD HAVEN woman has been handed a lengthy driving ban after admitting driving with a controlled drug in her system more than ten times over the legal limit.

SENTENCED AT HAVERFORDWEST

Sally Allen, 43, of Wentworth Close, Hubberston, appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (Dec 4) for sentencing, having pleaded guilty on November 25 to driving with a proportion of a specified controlled drug above the prescribed limit.

The court heard that Allen was stopped on August 25 on the Old Hakin Road at Tiers Cross while driving an Audi A3. Blood analysis showed 509µg/l of Benzoylecgonine, a breakdown product of cocaine. The legal limit is 50µg/l.

COMMUNITY ORDER AND REHABILITATION

Magistrates imposed a 40-month driving ban, backdated to her interim disqualification which began on November 25.

Allen was also handed a 12-month community order, requiring her to complete 10 days of rehabilitation activities as directed by the Probation Service.

She was fined £120, ordered to pay £85 prosecution costs and a £114 surcharge. Her financial penalties will be paid in £25 monthly instalments from January 1, 2026.

The bench—Mrs H Roberts, Mr M Shankland and Mrs J Morris—said her guilty plea had been taken into account when passing sentence.