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Another inmate has fled from an open prison in Wales following an incident last month. Twenty-two year old Lee David Pearson, who is not a sex offender and is not serving a life sentence, absconded from HMP Prescoed near Usk at the weekend. He was convicted at Swansea Crown Court on 31 December 2009, and has contacts in the Neath and Port Talbot areas.

A Cardiff lecturer who had three bicycles stolen in as many months has carried out his own survey on bike crime and has revealed the results, claiming the number of cycles stolen in the capital is on the rise. Fed-up Dr Joe O’Mahoney says bike crime has increased by 58 per cent in the past ten years.

The Federation of Small Businesses Wales said that its own research indicated that two thirds of small businesses have been a victim of crime costing them up to £3,000. Welsh policy chair for the FSB, Janet Jones, said: “The Government needs to step up and engage with this important sector of the community. It is paramount that the Government sets out the right local agenda to protect these firms.

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service said a changing room at Merthyr Tydfil Football Club has been badly damaged by fire. The emergency services added that the fire was confined to the two-storey room. Crews from Merthyr, Aberdare and Rhymney were called to the Penydarren Park ground in the early hours of the morning on Sunday. A fire service spokesman said it was believed that the fire had begun accidentally.

As many as 40,000 front-line police jobs will be at risk across England and Wales if expected 25 per cent budget cuts go ahead, the Police Federation has said. It added that the job cuts would mean crime rates going up. The body, which represents English and Welsh police officers, said such a staffing reduction would make policing as it is now "unsustainable".

Fire crews staged a huge operation to fight a large overnight blaze at the Linamar car parts factory in Swansea. At its height 30 firefighters were called to the fire on Fabian Way, but the situation was soon contained so that two appliances remained to deal with it. A fire service spokesman said 30 factory workers on site were uninjured.

A warning has been issued over bogus workers in Wales. Powys Community Safety Partnership said firms offering work at low prices had targeted vulnerable people in the old county of Radnorshire.

Crime has fallen by 12 per cent in South Wales as forecasts of a crime wave fuelled by the recession failed to materialise. New figures from the Home Office’s 2009/10 British Crime Survey have shown that there were nearly 14,000 fewer victims of crime in South Wales. The statistics revealed robbery was reduced by a quarter, and home burglary was down 16%. Figures overall for England and Wales were down from 10.5 million to 9.6 million, a drop of nine per cent.

Due to roadworks, a 100 kilometre long traffic jam has developed in the Chinese capital, and with no end in sight, warnings have been issued that the problem could continue for a month. It is hoped the roadworks in Beijing will be completed by the end of September, but congestion and road safety are huge issues for motorists in China. Traffic jams have been frequent since May due to the rapid increase of trucks to a daily peak of about 17,000.

Police have suspicions that a gang had some inside knowledge when stealing millions worth of valuables from a prestigious shopping centre. Officers said the robbers turned up in a car before smashing their way into the complex, which is closed at weekends, and grabbing what they could from De Beers and Omega. Detectives will examine images from security cameras inside the Royal Exchange centre located between Threadneedle Street and Cornhill in London.

A habitual criminal was caught on CCTV camera threatening a man working alone late into the night at a Texaco garage. Prosecutor Ann Hampshire said Mr Stevie Harper was at the Devon garage when the defendant David Fairbairn walked in. She said: "Mr Fairbairn entered the shop, two customers were already on the premises, he waited for them to pay and leave before he approached the counter.

As a result of rising thefts of copper wire contained in the local telecoms network, BT have launched a campaign focused on those criminals taking cables for their valuable copper content – this includes a chemical dye that stains those who steal. SmartWater is an invisible solution which forensically stays on the skin for a period of 60 days, and has led to hundreds more arrests.