logo
North Wales PCC Andy Dunbobbin visits Meirionnydd region

North Wales PCC Andy Dunbobbin visits Meirionnydd region

Mr Dunbobbin said: "I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Meirionnydd and the beautiful towns of Dolgellau, Tywyn and Aberdyfi.
"It is an exceptional area, with so much to offer residents and visitors alike.
"Living in the far south of the region, residents tell me they sometimes feel overlooked by public services, but as PCC for the whole of North Wales, I can assure them that their interests are very close to my heart, and that their safety is paramount to me in my role.
"While there is always more to do, I was pleased to hear of the increasing confidence that people have in police in the area and that they feel officers are more visible than they previously were."
He was joined by Deputy PCC Wayne Jones and PCSO Delyth Edwards during his tour of Gwynedd South, which began at Dolgellau Police Station.
The group later travelled to Tywyn to meet Chris Wood, clerk to the community council, where they discussed policing needs and recent developments.
One key concern raised was the misuse of e-scooters and e-bikes, particularly in the High Street area.
The UK Government's Crime and Policing Bill, introduced to Parliament in February, proposes giving police greater powers to tackle illegal use of e-scooters, including removing the requirement to issue a warning before seizing the vehicles.
The visit continued to Aberdovey Golf Club and into Aberdyfi, where the group spoke with business owners, fishermen, and staff from the Eryri National Park visitor centre.
Discussions also took place at the Trefeddian Hotel with William Moeran, general manager.
Mr Dunbobbin said he valued the feedback and concerns raised by business owners and residents during the visit.
District Inspector Iwan Jones said: "As a team, we've worked hard to increase the visibility and presence of police officers and PCSOs across Tywyn and the surrounding villages.
"It's encouraging to hear directly from residents that these efforts are making a positive impact.
"We recognise that there is always more to be done to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our communities."
PCSO Edwards, who hosted the visit, said: "It was a privilege and an honour to accompany and host Police and Crime Commissioner Andy Dunbobbin and his deputy Wayne Jones in the beautiful and picturesque Gwynedd South region."
Residents are reminded that they can report crime to North Wales Police via LiveChat on the force website or by calling 101.
In an emergency, people are urged to dial 999.
Crimes can also be reported anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Pelt shoplifters with fruit in stocks, Labour peer demands
Pelt shoplifters with fruit in stocks, Labour peer demands

Telegraph

timea day ago

  • Telegraph

Pelt shoplifters with fruit in stocks, Labour peer demands

Sir Keir Starmer must bring back the stocks so shoplifters can be pelted with rotten fruit, a Labour peer has demanded. Lord Glasman, the founder of the socially conservative Blue Labour group, said the historic form of punishment would act as a deterrent to the growing shoplifting epidemic. It comes after official figures showed that shoplifting hit a record high of 530,643 offences reported to police in the year to March, marking a 20pc year-on-year increase. The number of snatch thefts of mobile phones and bags also reached a 20-year high last year, with 99,000 devices grabbed from people by thieves. Lord Glasman told GB News: 'It's impossible to live in London without having your mobile phone getting nicked on the street out of your hand. That's palpable. 'I think we've got to think imaginatively about deterrence and punishment, I really do. This is vital. 'I'm quite in favour of public humiliation of these shoplifters, bringing back the stocks, pelting them with rotten fruit. The old ways are the good ways!' The peer went on to say he felt 'humiliated' when he had his own phone stolen, arguing there must be a form of 'counter-intimidation' for shoplifters and phone thieves. He added: 'I really think we've got to think about it. There is a will to get policemen back on the beat, to get them on the street but I think we've got to talk about alternatives to prison that are punishments. 'Certainly getting the rotten vegetables and fruit from the supermarket and people having a chance to express their disgust at what they've been through, I don't think that's such a bad idea.' Crime and Policing Bill Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, is hoping to make it easier for police to break into the homes of phone thieves without a warrant if the victim has been able to track down their device. The changes form part of the Crime and Policing Bill, which cleared the Commons earlier this year and will soon have its second reading in the House of Lords. Lord Glasman has emerged as a staunch critic of Sir Keir's administration on a number of issues including human rights laws and mass migration. Earlier this month, he warned that Sir Keir had just six months to save his premiership and that the public would find out in that time whether the Prime Minister 'has got it or not'. Lord Glasman is viewed as an important voice in Labour and his wider political thinking is believed to have had a significant influence on Morgan McSweeney, Sir Keir's chief of staff. In a speech at the Policy Exchange in May, Lord Glasman called on Sir Keir to lead a working-class 'insurrection' if he wanted to face off the threat of Nigel Farage and Reform UK. He has previously broken with Sir Keir's line on issues including the controversial deal to hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius at a cost of £9bn a year, as well as the appointment of Lord Hermer as Attorney General.

Popular tourist hotspot makes big change to travel advice
Popular tourist hotspot makes big change to travel advice

Daily Mail​

time2 days ago

  • Daily Mail​

Popular tourist hotspot makes big change to travel advice

A popular winter sun city break destination has seen travel advice issued by the UK government changed this week. British tourists planning to visit Morocco have been warned by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office about the risks of carrying drugs in and out of the country, including Class B drug cannabis. The North African country has severe penalties for tourists caught carrying illegal substances while transiting through Moroccan airports, with heavy fines and long jail sentences handed out. The new Government travel advice issued yesterday says drug-detecting technology has been ramped up in recent years in the country. Its advice now reads: 'Illegal drugs, including cannabis, carry severe penalties. You should expect a long jail sentence and heavy fines for possessing, using or smuggling illegal drugs, including when transiting through the airport. 'Airports in Morocco have excellent technology and security for detecting illegal items. This is also used to scan the baggage of transiting passengers.' Tourism in Morocco continues to grow year-on-year, with around a million visitors descending on cities including Marrakech, Casablanca and coastal resorts including Essaouira and Agadir. The update comes just a day after a British mother was charged with trafficking drugs into Germany after being caught allegedly smuggling cannabis from Thailand. Cameron Bradford, 21, from Knebworth in Hertfordshire, was arrested at Munich Airport on April 22nd when she attempted to collect her luggage. Authorities had become suspicious after she allegedly changed her flight at the last minute, having originally been due to fly to London Heathrow via Singapore. Her family had filed a missing person report after raising concerns when she did not return home as expected, but then learned the next day she was in Germany. Miss Bradford was arrested and held in custody - and has now been charged with attempted transit of cannabis and abetting the international trafficking of cannabis. The mother, who has a young son, is set to make an appearance at a hearing in Munich District Court on August 6 as authorities continue to investigate. A Foreign Office spokesman said today: 'We are supporting a British woman who is detained in Germany and are in contact with her family and the local authorities.' Miss Bradford's arrest is one of a series of cases involving suspected young British female drug mules stopped by police at airports in countries around the world. This week, another British woman was arrested in Mauritius accused of trying to smuggle cannabis inside her six-year-old son's suitcase. This week, Natashia Artug, 35, of Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, was detained alongside seven other people accused of carrying more than 161kg of the drug - worth £1.6million - in their luggage. The boy's luggage alone is said to have had 24 packages of drugs wrapped in clear cellophane inside weighing 14kg. Campaign group Justice Abroad claimed Ms Artug is 'vulnerable' and was coerced into travelling to Mauritius by people involved in the drug trade who threatened her and her family, adding that she did not know the bags contained cannabis. Miss Artug's partner Florian Lisman, a 38-year-old Romanian, was also arrested and said to be carrying 32 drug packages, an iPhone and £260. The other Britons detained were Patrick Lee Wilsdon, 22, Lily Watson, 20, Shannon Ellen Josie Holness 29, Laura Amy Kappen 28, and Shona Campbell, 32, who each had between 30 and 32 packages, according to local newspaper Le Mauricien. They were all on the same British Airways flight from London Gatwick to Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam airport last month. The suspects have all been charged with drug trafficking and remain in custody.

Police officer fall mapped as bungling top Tory mocked for whining about own record
Police officer fall mapped as bungling top Tory mocked for whining about own record

Daily Mirror

time3 days ago

  • Daily Mirror

Police officer fall mapped as bungling top Tory mocked for whining about own record

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp has been urged to show some 'humility' after going on the affack after a drop in police that happened on his watch - use our interactive tool to see how you are affected A top Tory has been left red-faced after accidentally attacking his own record in Government. ‌ Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp went on the attack after official data showed a decline in police officer numbers of 1,316 between March 2024 and March 2025. However closer analysis shows that 1,232 of these posts were lost while he was policing minister last year. ‌ After a sharp drop last Spring - when around 400 officers were lost a week - numbers were more stable from the summer. In a video shared on social media, Mr Philp branded the fall "shocking" and said: "Under Labour numbers have fallen by 1,300 already." ‌ Labour Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson said: 'Chris Philp has managed to attack his own record in Government, and advertised cuts to policing that he presided over. He was Policing Minister in a Government which cut PCSOs in half and slashed the number of Special Constables by two-thirds. Some humility would not go amiss. ‌ She said he was lucky he made the bungled attack after Kemi Badenoch reshuffled her top team. Dame Diana went on: 'This Labour Government is putting bobbies back on the beat, with a £200m cash injection to fund 3000 more officers and PCSOs this year alone as part of our Plan for Change.' Management information collected by the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC), officer numbers fell by 1,232 between March 2024 and June 2024 and by 84 between July 2024 and March 2025. In April Keir Starmer announced a 'summer crime blitz' where police will patrol town centres targeting shoplifters, pickpockets, phone thieves and anyone who assaults a shop worker. The government's 'Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee' aims to put 13,000 more officers into neighbourhood roles by 2029, an increase of more than 50%. ‌ The PM also said he wanted 3,000 new neighbourhood officers - including 2,500 police officers and nearly 400 police community support officers (PCSOs) - in post by the start of next year. The proposals aim to ensure that every community has its own named, contactable officers, dedicated teams on the beat, and guaranteed police patrols in town centres and other hotspot areas during peak times. It followed a Home Office announcement in January of an extra £100 million for neighbourhood policing in England and Wales. Excluding British Transport Police, there were 146,454 full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers in England and Wales as of March 31, 2025. While that is less than a 1% fall from the previous year, it represents 1,307 fewer FTE officers. ‌ At the same time, PCSO numbers have dropped by 257 (3%), from 7,570 in 2024 to 7,313 FTE roles. The Met Police has seen by far the biggest drop in officer numbers, losing the equivalent of 1,020 FTE police officers. However, the Met did gain 78 additional PCSOs. South Wales Police lost the equivalent of 23 FTE officers and 77 PCSOs. Greater Manchester Police saw a reduction of 30 FTE police officers and 40 PCSOs, and Hertfordshire Constabulary saw numbers drop by 54 officers and 14 PCSOs. But not every force has seen a reduction. Bedfordshire Police gained 24 FTE officers and 10 PCSOs. North Wales Police recruited 17 extra police and 12 community support officers, and while West Yorkshire Police lost 35 PCSOs, the force gained 64 FTE police officers. ‌ Compared to the size of the population each force serves, the Met remains the best-resourced police force in the country. For every 10,000 people living in London, there are the equivalent of 39 police and community support officers. The Met is followed by Merseyside Police (30 officers per 10,000 people), Greater Manchester Police (29), and South Wales Police (29). Lincolnshire Police has the lowest ratio of officers to people, with 16 police and PCSOs for every 10,000 of the population. A Home Office spokeswoman said: "We are determined to rebuild neighbourhood policing, and as part of our Plan for Change, will put an extra 3,000 police and Community Support Officers on the beat by Spring next year, backed by a £1.2 billion cash investment. 'Ahead of that, forces across the country are rolling out named, contactable officers and high street patrols at peak times.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store