New operation aims to knock on more than 257,000 doors across Dyfed-Powys over the next three years

DYFED-POWYS POLICE has launched a major new community engagement operation aimed at visiting every home across the force area within the next three years.

Operation Connect will see neighbourhood policing and prevention teams proactively call at residential properties across Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Powys.

The force says the initiative is designed to increase visibility, improve communication, and give residents a direct opportunity to raise local concerns with officers and PCSOs.

According to Dyfed-Powys Police, there are 257,416 residential properties across the force area currently active on local authority council tax systems. The aim is for officers and staff to knock on every one of those doors over the course of the operation.

The scheme follows the launch of Dyfed-Powys Connects in September 2025, a two-way messaging system intended to improve contact between police and local communities.

Chief Inspector Dominic Jones said: “It is vital that we make every effort to connect with those who live and work in our communities, as our public deserves to know their local police teams and feel a genuine sense of trust and confidence in Dyfed-Powys Police.

“I know how much our neighbourhood policing teams care about their areas, and we are undertaking this work because we truly care about the communities we serve.”

During visits, PCSOs will also help residents complete priority surveys. The force says these will allow local concerns to be recorded and used to shape future policing activity.

Dyfed-Powys Police says the surveys will provide measurable data to help maintain community confidence and support problem-solving with partner agencies.

The force currently has 189 full-time equivalent officers and staff deployed in neighbourhood teams. This includes 131 PCSOs and 58 police constables, made up of 29 existing officers and a further 29 through the Neighbourhood Guarantee uplift.

To cover the whole force area, each officer or staff member would need to visit around 1,362 properties. Dyfed-Powys Police says this would equate to approximately six properties per officer or staff member each day over a 12-month period.

Chief Inspector Jones added: “By reporting back on our progress through ‘You Said, We Did,’ we will continue to build, solve problems, and maintain lasting relationships with the communities we serve.”

The force says Operation Connect will help it build stronger relationships by listening to local issues, addressing concerns through targeted policing, and sharing progress with communities.

MILFORD HAVEN TOWN COUNCIL will meet on Monday (Jun 22), with councillors due to consider a range of governance, financial and community matters.

The meeting will be held at the Milford Haven Sea Cadets and Royal Marines Cadets Unit, Unit A, Havens Head Business Park, at 6:00pm.

Before the main agenda, councillors will receive a presentation from Mr A Harries, Development Officer for Mid and West Wales at One Voice Wales, on the General Power of Competence.

The power allows qualifying town and community councils in Wales to do anything an individual may generally do, provided it is not prohibited by law. It is intended to give councils greater flexibility in delivering local services and projects.

Members of the public will have the opportunity to ask questions during a ten-minute public question and answer session.

Councillors will also receive updates from the Mayor, reports on councillor engagements and community activities, and feedback from representatives on outside bodies.

Items on the agenda include the approval of minutes from the council meeting held on June 8, reports from the Estates Group and Social Media Group, and a report on a Meeting Owl 3 video conferencing system.

The council is also due to consider the appointment of the chair of the Finance, Governance and Projects Committee, which was deferred from the previous full council meeting.

Other business includes a report on health and safety requirements for Milford Haven Town Council, representation on an outside body as an additional community governor at Gelliswick VC School, and financial matters including the May 2026 schedule of accounts and bank reconciliation.

Remote access to the meeting can be provided to councillors and members of the public on request.

NEW funding of £145 million has been announced for NHS Wales as ministers seek to cut waiting times, improve hospital facilities and increase capacity across the health service.

The package, announced as part of the Welsh Government’s Supplementary Budget for 2026 to 2027, includes money to reduce waiting lists, develop surgical and diagnostic hubs, and carry out essential maintenance across the NHS estate.

Health leaders and nursing representatives have welcomed the investment, but warned that money for buildings, equipment and waiting list initiatives must be backed by a wider plan for staffing, primary care, community services and social care.

The Welsh NHS Confederation said the additional funding was welcome, but called for a “whole-system” approach to health and care.

Its director, Darren Hughes, said: “NHS leaders in Wales welcome this additional funding for the NHS to reduce waiting times and make essential maintenance across the NHS estate.

“We also welcome the Health and Care Minister’s focus on developing a long-term strategy to address waiting times. We agree that a long-term solution is required to build sustainable capacity and drive whole-system improvements.”

Mr Hughes said strengthening primary and community care would be essential, including programmes designed to move more services closer to people’s homes.

He added: “Alongside improvements in primary care, we must also prioritise the social care sector.

“We would also welcome a broader and more balanced approach to how NHS and social care performance is measured and published. Focusing solely on waiting times does not provide a complete picture, and there needs to be more comprehensive data published across the breadth of the NHS and social care services.”

The Royal College of Nursing Wales also welcomed the investment, but warned that new facilities alone would not reduce waiting lists unless there were enough appropriately trained staff to run them.

Nicola Williams, Executive Director of RCN Wales, said investment in surgical and diagnostic hubs and essential maintenance had the potential to reduce delays, improve patient experience and increase NHS capacity.

But she said: “Buildings and equipment alone will not reduce waiting lists.

“Delivering sustainable improvements depends on having the right, appropriately trained and skilled workforce in place, and nurses will play a pivotal role in the provision of safe, effective and efficient care.”

RCN Wales said nursing staff across Wales were reporting rising patient complexity and demand, missed breaks, and difficulty providing the level of care patients need.

The union also raised concerns that newly qualified nurses had faced uncertainty about securing permanent employment, despite continued pressure on services.

Ms Williams said Wales could not afford to lose the talent and commitment of a generation of nursing graduates.

She added that any move towards strengthening primary and community care must be matched by investment in the nursing workforce needed to deliver those services.

The announcement will now raise questions about how much of the funding will reach west Wales, and whether Hywel Dda University Health Board patients will directly benefit from any new surgical or diagnostic hub.

No specific locations for the proposed hubs have yet been confirmed.