Local MP Huw Irranca-Davies Joins Ogmore and Garw Valley Neighbourhood Policing Team and Forest Crime Officer PC Andrew Scourfield
South Wales Police has delivered on the promise to establish a named point of contact in every neighbourhood, along with dedicated teams, as part of our Neighbourhood Policing Programme. These officers are accessible to communities and work in partnership to solve problems.
In recognition of the national roll out of Neighbourhood Policing, local MP Huw Irranca-Davies visited the Ogmore and Garw Valley Neighbourhood Policing Team on Thursday 3rd April 2008, meeting the dedicated neighbourhood officers at Pontycymmer Police Station.
Neighbourhood Policing Teams throughout the force have recently taken part in a national neighbourhood policing campaign called ‘A name in every neighbourhood – keeping the promise’, and the Ogmore and GarwValley team led the force conducting 50 positive activities during the 2 week campaign.
MP Huw Irranca-Davies was briefed by the team, on their contribution to the campaign, which included PACT meetings, surgeries, crime prevention activities, school assembly presentations, and a range of community enhancing operations.
MP Huw Irranca-Davies then met up with South Wales Police Forest Crime Officer PC Andrew Scourfield for an off road 4x4 patrol through the Cairns Forestry, north of the GarwValley.
Forest Crime Officer PC Andy Scourfield’s patch covers 30,000 hectares of Forestry Commission land making up the South Wales valleys forest, which is the largest urban forest in Western Europe, with the majority of the land falling within the boundaries of South Wales Police.
PC Scourfield has been seconded to Forestry Commission Wales as the first Forest Crime Officer to stamp out crime in the forest and countryside, tackling criminal damage, fly-tipping, off-road trespass, deer poaching, and drug related activity.
PC Scourfield works closely with his neighbourhood policing colleagues throughout the force, in response to community concerns brought up in PACT meetings, and has established ‘Forest Watch’, a crime prevention scheme similar to Neighbourhood Watch, where forest users can report anti social activity, and work together to ensure the forests are protected and can be enjoyed by locals and the many visitors to the area.
MP Huw Irranca-Davies concluded with a visit to Cwrt Gwalia in Ogmore Vale, where he met the neighbourhood officers at their on site Community Access Point, and got to speak to a number of local residents, discussing the positive impact the local policing team had made on their community.
Ogmore MP Huw Irranca-Davies said "The low levels of crime now seen in the Pontycymmer ward has largely been achieved through the continuing good links between the Neighbourhood Policing Team, partner agencies and local Councillors. It is through this joint working that communities across Wales are starting to see reductions in crime and anti-social behaviour”.
Ogmore MP Huw Irranca-Davies continues "I know in Pontycymmer the Team are looking at ways of engaging with young people and partner agencies to look at the levels of youth provision and to see what they can do to improve the area. This backs the Government’s commitment to focus policing around local priorities as well as continuing to tackle serious crime."
Ogmore and Garw Valley Neighbourhood Sergeant Chris Truscott stated “It was great to be joined by local MP Huw Irranca-Davies. The Neighbourhood Policing Team has and will continue to be accessible to community members, engaging with them through a partnership approach to problem solving.”
Ogmore Vale Neighbourhood Beat Officer PC Richard Jones describes what it’s like to be a neighbourhood officer in South Wales “Neighbourhood Policing provides our communities with a say on what matters most to them, and it’s extremely rewarding to work as part of a team, involving local communities, partners, and the police, towards solving these problems”.
Neighbourhood Policing Teams and community partners throughout the force are working together, to prevent crime, problem solving to enhance communities, and tackling crime with enforcement.
South Wales Police Chief Constable Barbara Wilding states “It’s vitally important that our communities know who their local policing team is, and how to contact them. Now, across the force area, every community has named police
officers and PCSO’s with telephone contact numbers who they can call upon and work with to solve problems. It is another important milestone in our drive to improve our community focus and our accessibility.”