Latest news with #PatriciaAstbury
BBC News
02-07-2025
- BBC News
More 20mph speed cameras should be requested, police panel told
Councillors have been urged to request more fixed speeding cameras to crack down on drivers exceeding the 20mph (32km/h) North Wales Police and Crime Panel heard of drivers caught going up to 83mph (133kph) in 20mph zones, with the "top five" fixed-camera locations in north Wales all in force faces challenges enforcing the limit due to drivers and holidaymakers crossing the border where the 30mph default limit still applies, the panel was panel chairwoman Patricia Astbury called for councillors to request more cameras, North Wales Police Supt Simon Barrasford told the meeting the devices could be funded by the Welsh government. In a presentation on road policing, Supt Barrasford briefed the panel on speeding figures since the 20mph default speed limit was introduced in Wales in September 2023."Any local authority can liaise with Welsh government for funding and put static cameras in," he the meeting, Ms Astbury called on some councillors to ask their authorities for more speed cameras."Maybe some of the elected members need to go away and think about having some fixed cameras… I'm certainly going to ask elected members for one on my road," she said. The panel heard all of the top five fixed-camera locations in north Wales were in Flintshire: at the A5104 in Pontybodkin, the A548 in Oakenholt, the B5129 in Pentre, the A5119 on Northop Road, Sychdyn, and the A550 on Gladstone Barrasford also briefed the panel on the Welsh government-funded Operation Ugain, a campaign to offer drivers exceeding the 20mph speed limit safety advice rather than penalty revealed 126,640 vehicles had passed a Ugain team, 2,840 of which were stopped due to exceeding the 20mph speed limit, and 2,826 had engaged with the advice.A total of 14 drivers were given a traffic offence report or a court summons. Supt Barrasford said the highest speed recorded at a fixed-camera site was 83mph at Mynydd Isa, with the driver receiving a six-month disqualification, substantial fines and highest speed within a 20mph zone recorded by a speed camera van was on Russell Road, Rhyl, in Denbighshire where a vehicle was travelling 51mph (82kph) "at 11am in the morning on a very busy road", he community speed-watch camera caught a driver going 61mph (98kph) in a 20mph zone. The top five non-fixed speed-camera locations in north Wales were Glan y Mor Road to Marine Drive in Penrhyn Bay in Conwy, the A525 Trefnant in Denbighshire, the A548 Russell Road in Rhyl, Denbighshire, the A494 in Bala, Gwynedd, and the A5025 in Amlwch Road, Benllech, Wales Police said the introduction of the 20mph default speed limit had resulted in a notable downwards trend of Barrasford said a 12-month comparison between before and after the legislation change saw serious injuries down by 19.4% and slight injuries drop by 43.9%. Chief Constable Amanda Blakeman said collisions happened for reasons other than speed, including the age of drivers involved and defective also noted that some tourists and visitors from England did not adhere to the speed limit. This article was written by a trusted journalist and then edited for length and style with the help of AI, before being checked again by a BBC Journalist. It's part of a pilot.
North Wales Live
02-07-2025
- Politics
- North Wales Live
'The smell in the town centre is pungent. People don't realise they're funding organised crime'
A police panel heard how residents in Ruthin complain of pungent cannabis smoke in the streets, with the drug blamed for financing serious, organised crime. Speaking at a North Wales Police and Crime Panel meeting, North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Andy Dunbobbin gave an update at Conwy 's Coed Pella HQ. The panel was updated on various police developments by the crime commissioner, which included Project Draig, a campaign 'raising awareness and capturing the response to SOC (serious and organised crime)'. But meeting chairwoman Patricia Astbury spoke on the subject and said she was 'frustrated' by cannabis users, whom she accused of funding serious and organised crime through drug use. Ms Astbury also used the streets of Ruthin as an example of how 'pungent' the smell of the drug is in some North Wales towns. 'I don't think communities out there really understand how this SOC (serious and organised crime) can impact upon our lives,' she said. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox. 'It is Insidious, isn't it, what happens? And I listen, and I don't get why they don't understand how, for example, cannabis - the use of cannabis – that's all connected, isn't it? And that just seems to be an accepted part of life now, that you can go down a street, and you hear people in Ruthin saying the smell of cannabis is strong.' She added: 'I know local policing are doing something about that. They've just done an exercise in the south of the county, haven't they, where you started off in Ruthin, and that was one of the things people were saying. 'You walk up the streets and the smell is pungent.' And people just don't understand the impact when they are using cannabis, for example, that they are actually funding serious, organised crime eventually. I know it is a small thing, but I get cross sometimes. Why don't you understand what you're doing? It is frustrating.' Mr Dunbobbin responded: 'Not long after the results of the election last year, and I was spoken to by various media outlets. They said, 'What is your main priority for North Wales?' And my answer was serious, organised crime because everything else intrinsically links into that, with so many things, so many different strands. I know that is really much a priority of this force, with the chief constable there.' 'We've got Operation Draig (Project Draig), isn't it, chief? So there is a real emphasis on tackling that issue.'
Wales Online
02-07-2025
- Wales Online
'The smell in the town centre is pungent. People don't realise they're funding organised crime'
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A police panel heard how residents in Ruthin complain of pungent cannabis smoke in the streets, with the drug blamed for financing serious, organised crime. Speaking at a North Wales Police and Crime Panel meeting, North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Andy Dunbobbin gave an update at Conwy 's Coed Pella HQ. The panel was updated on various police developments by the crime commissioner, which included Project Draig, a campaign 'raising awareness and capturing the response to SOC (serious and organised crime)'. But meeting chairwoman Patricia Astbury spoke on the subject and said she was 'frustrated' by cannabis users, whom she accused of funding serious and organised crime through drug use. Ms Astbury also used the streets of Ruthin as an example of how 'pungent' the smell of the drug is in some North Wales towns. 'I don't think communities out there really understand how this SOC (serious and organised crime) can impact upon our lives,' she said. Sign up for the North Wales Live newslettersent twice daily to your inbox. 'It is Insidious, isn't it, what happens? And I listen, and I don't get why they don't understand how, for example, cannabis - the use of cannabis – that's all connected, isn't it? And that just seems to be an accepted part of life now, that you can go down a street, and you hear people in Ruthin saying the smell of cannabis is strong.' (Image: Andy Dunbobbin) She added: 'I know local policing are doing something about that. They've just done an exercise in the south of the county, haven't they, where you started off in Ruthin, and that was one of the things people were saying. 'You walk up the streets and the smell is pungent.' And people just don't understand the impact when they are using cannabis, for example, that they are actually funding serious, organised crime eventually. I know it is a small thing, but I get cross sometimes. Why don't you understand what you're doing? It is frustrating.' Mr Dunbobbin responded: 'Not long after the results of the election last year, and I was spoken to by various media outlets. They said, 'What is your main priority for North Wales?' And my answer was serious, organised crime because everything else intrinsically links into that, with so many things, so many different strands. I know that is really much a priority of this force, with the chief constable there.' 'We've got Operation Draig (Project Draig), isn't it, chief? So there is a real emphasis on tackling that issue.' Public notices in your area
