
MP backs summer crime crackdown in Rhyl and Colwyn Bay
The plan includes the recruitment of 13,000 new neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs across the UK, supported by an initial sum of £200 million.
Gill German, Labour MP for Clwyd North, said: "People in Clwyd North deserve to feel safe and confident in their local high streets – whether they're shopping, working, or spending time with family and friends.
"I've spoken to residents and business owners across Rhyl, Colwyn Bay, and our other town centres, and they've made it clear that tackling anti-social behaviour is a top priority."
The scheme, backed by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, includes Colwyn Bay and Rhyl among more than 500 towns taking part.
Residents should expect to see a "stronger, more visible police presence, along with targeted action to clamp down on anti-social behaviour."
The initiative is being delivered in partnership with police and crime commissioners, councils, businesses, and community leaders.
In North Wales, Police and Crime Commissioner Andy Dunbobbin has worked with partners to develop plans focused on both prevention and enforcement.
These include banning persistent offenders from town centres and increasing support for community-led safety schemes.
Since the scheme launched on June 30, North Wales Police have increased foot patrols.
Officers have engaged with the public through events such as Cuppa with a Copper and carried out enforcement activity.
During the first week, officers made arrests and executed warrants resulting in seizures of Class A drugs, cash, mobile phones, and drug paraphernalia.
The crackdown is set to run until September 30.
Ms German said she has seen first-hand the value of visible, community-focused policing.
She said: "Last week, I was pleased to join Inspector Matthew Kelly-Smith for a walkabout in Colwyn Bay town centre, where we discussed the benefits of an increased police presence and the importance of visible, community-focused policing.
"I also spent time with Police Community Support Officers on their regular patrol in Rhyl West, hearing directly from them about the challenges they face and the positive impact their presence can have in reassuring the public and preventing crime.
"That's why I welcome this summer crackdown – with more officers on the beat, real action to tackle anti-social behaviour, and support for our young people.
"I'll keep working closely with North Wales Police and local partners to make sure Clwyd North gets the support it needs to build safer, stronger, and more vibrant communities.
"I'm really pleased to see this government prioritising neighbourhood safety through proper investment in local policing.
"There's still a way to go, but we're making meaningful progress together."
The government is also launching a new Tackling Retail Crime Together Strategy.
This aims to use shared intelligence to protect shops and workers from organised, repeat, and opportunistic offenders.
Ms Cooper said the crackdown sends a clear message to offenders.
She said: "I have called on police forces and councils to work together to deliver a summer blitz on town centre crime, to send a clear message to those people who bring misery to our towns that their crimes will no longer go unpunished.
"The fact that Rhyl and Colwyn Bay have signed up shows the strength of feeling locally on this issue.
"Through our Safer Streets Mission and Plan for Change, we are putting officers back on the beat where you can see them and making our town centres safe again."
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
2 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
STEPHEN GLOVER: The pensions 'triple lock' must end. It pains me to say it, but Britain is no longer a rich nation and we can't afford it
When will Labour wake up to the fact that this country is living way beyond its means? Until it does, the rest of us will continue to inhabit a fool's paradise. Last month alone the Government borrowed nearly £21 billion – far more than most analysts expected and £6.6 billion more than in June last year. It is all but certain that taxes, already at a peacetime high, will go up again, and significantly, in October's Budget.


South Wales Guardian
27 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Students risk falling through ‘qualifications gap' under post-16 plans
Many young people will be left 'without a suitable pathway' if funding is withdrawn for a number of applied general qualifications (AGQs), such as BTecs, and if the uptake of the Government's technical courses (T-levels) remains low, a coalition of education and employer groups has warned. A report by the Protect Student Choice campaign warned reducing student choice for post-16 qualifications risks 'reversing' progress in widening access to higher education and it could lead to more young people not in employment. The coalition – which includes organisations representing students and staff in colleges and schools – is calling on the curriculum and assessment review to recommend 'reversing the ban on AGQ diplomas and extended diplomas in T-level areas' in its final report which is due to be published in the autumn. AGQs are Level 3 qualifications, which include BTecs, for students who want to undertake a broad study of a specific vocational area. In December, the Labour Government announced 157 vocational qualifications, which the previous Conservative administration had planned to remove funding from, would be retained beyond July this year until reformed qualifications become more established in the system. Following a review of Level 3 qualifications that 'overlap' with T-levels, the Government said 57 qualifications in digital, construction and health and science would be funded until July 2026. A further 100 qualifications in engineering, agriculture, business and creative would retain their funding until July 2027. The first T-level courses – which are considered to be broadly equivalent to three A-levels – were launched in 2020 in England and they are being rolled out gradually. Department for Education (DfE) guidance, published in February, has outlined plans to remove funding from 'large qualifications' in a number of T-level subject areas in the future. An analysis from the Protect Student Choice campaign suggests there could be 52,000 fewer young people studying health and science courses each year if funding is removed for AGQs in this area, and it added that nearly 11,000 fewer young people could study digital courses each year. It said more than 200,000 students are currently studying AGQs that are 'either being scrapped or have an uncertain future' which makes it 'difficult' for colleges and schools to plan their curriculum, recruit and train the right staff, or to provide appropriate guidance to younger pupils. The report warned: 'We are deeply concerned that the Government's blanket ban on diplomas and extended diplomas will create a qualifications gap that tens of thousands of students will potentially fall through, leaving many young people without a suitable pathway in the future.' Labour MP Gareth Snell, chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Sixth Form Education, said: 'Sixth forms and colleges up and down the country know the vital role that AGQs play in helping students to progress to higher education or skilled employment. 'Limiting the choice of qualification in certain subjects to T-levels will leave some young people without a suitable pathway at the age of 16, and some employers without the skilled workforce they need.' Professor Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, said: 'Qualifications like the diploma and extended diploma in health and social care are highly valued by providers of adult social care in England as a source of introducing younger people to a career in social care. 'Scrapping these qualifications would close off a well-established pathway to entering the profession and exacerbate the workforce crisis in the care sector for a younger population we are keen to promote access to.' Anne Murdoch, college leadership adviser at the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: 'We strongly urge the Government to retain these popular and valued applied general qualifications. 'We support the introduction of T-levels, but we do not understand why this must be at the expense of other tried and trusted vocational qualifications which work well for many students. 'At a time when we are seeing rising numbers of young people who are not in education, employment or training, it is surely essential that we provide a choice of post-16 pathways rather than narrowing their options and making matters worse.' A DfE spokeswoman said: 'Through our plan for change we are building a skills system that will drive forward opportunity and deliver the growth that our economy needs. 'T-levels will be at the forefront of our technical education offer. Alongside them, newly reformed qualifications will become available for delivery at Level 3 at the start of the next academic year. 'These are high-quality, aligned to occupational standards in technical routes and offer learners clear routes to higher education or skilled employment. 'The department's position on further plans for reform to Level 3 qualifications will be set out soon, informed by the independent curriculum and assessment review.'


South Wales Guardian
29 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Badenoch and Cleverly attack Labour housing record after Tory reshuffle
The newly appointed shadow housing secretary promised that 'under Kemi's leadership, I am ready to lead the fight' on new homes policy in the capital, a day after returning to the Conservative front bench. Opposition leader Mrs Badenoch accused Sir Keir Starmer's Government of having done 'the exact opposite' of showing it was serious about housebuilding. Labour, which has pledged to deliver 1.5 million homes by the next parliament, said the country was still 'living with the consequences' of the Tories' 'disastrous decision to abolish mandatory housing targets'. Mrs Badenoch said the Prime Minister is 'seemingly more concerned about homes for illegal migrants than getting Britain building' following remarks made by Sir Keir to Parliament's Liaison Committee. Sir Keir has suggested there is 'lots of housing available' to accommodate both rising numbers of homeless people and asylum seekers when asked about the need to house both groups. 'Under my leadership, Conservatives will stand up for property rights. Private owners should not face the threat of their property being taken over by the council to house illegal immigrants,' she said. Sir James said: 'This Labour government is totally failing the country, and the capital, on housing – and under Kemi's leadership, I am ready to lead the fight against this failure.' Ahead of a joint visit with Mrs Badenoch on Wednesday, he criticised actions such as cancelling the London Plan review of housing and 'using precious stock to house asylum seekers'. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has withdrawn the review, which had been ordered by the previous government, to pave the way for what she called a 'partnership approach' to development between Government and City Hall. The joint visit is the first since Mrs Badenoch reshuffled her front bench on Wednesday as part of efforts to demonstrate what she described as the Tories' 'mission of renewal'. Former foreign secretary Sir James will shadow Ms Rayner in the housing, communities and local government brief, while ex-Conservative Party chairman Richard Holden becomes shadow transport secretary. Kevin Hollinrake has been appointed party chairman, replacing Nigel Huddleston, who will become shadow culture Andrew will become shadow health secretary, replacing Edward Argar, who resigned citing health reasons. Julia Lopez has been appointed shadow science secretary, taking over from Alan Mak, who has left the shadow cabinet. Gareth Bacon has been replaced by Mr Holden in his transport brief and demoted from the shadow cabinet, but remains minister for London. Sir James served in the Foreign Office and as home secretary when the Conservatives were in power before spending months on the back benches after coming third in the Tory leadership contest last year. The MP for Braintree in Essex has since used his influential position as a former minister to warn against pursuing a populist agenda akin to Nigel Farage's Reform UK. In the same speech, he also said he wanted to return the Tories to government 'at every level,' amid speculation he could harbour ambitions of running for the London mayoralty held by Sir Sadiq Khan in 2028. He has also urged the Conservatives to reject climate change 'luddites' on the right who believe 'the way things are now is just fine,' in remarks that were widely seen as at odds with the net-zero stance of the Tory leader. In a press release ahead of the joint visit, the Tories described Sir James as a 'political heavyweight' who will take the fight to Labour 'over their failure to provide the people of Britain with the houses they need – particularly in London, ahead of the mayoral elections in 2028.' The release contained no new Conservative housing policy announcements, after Mrs Badenoch said she did not want to rush into new proposals following the party's election defeat last year. A Labour spokesperson said: 'No amount of deckchair shuffling can hide that the architects of 14 years of Tory failure still sit around Kemi Badenoch's top table. 'We're still living with the consequences of the Tories' disastrous decision to torpedo supply by abolishing mandatory housing targets. 'While Labour is working in partnership with regions to turn the tide on the acute and entrenched housing crisis, the Conservatives haven't changed and they haven't once apologised for the mess they left behind.'