Comprising the most comprehensive set of figures yet, during the past 12 months burglars and people convicted of robbery were among those who were wrongly released from jail in England, Wales and Scotland. The Prison Service takes public protection extremely seriously, a spokesman for the Prison Service of England and Wales said.
A new crime map shows Cardiff hotspots where three crimes have been committed every day, the South Wales Echo has revealed. Statistics obtained from South Wales Police show that more than 1,000 crimes a year were committed on Queen Street, Newport Road and St Mary Street in 2007, 2008 and 2009.
The police cuts timetable in England and Wales needs a rethink since it makes it hard to protect front-line services, says the Association of Police Authorities (APA). Budgeting measures over the next four years are due to start with 8% reductions in 2012-13, and a phasing-down in the years after that.
A councillor has criticised “life-threatening” parking which takes place when Cardiff City are at home. Ramesh Patel said he found dangerous parking on corners and junctions while walking around his Canton ward, which is a popular parking spot on Saturdays when the Bluebirds play at the Cardiff City Stadium. He said: “It is dangerous to the extent that it is putting people’s lives at risk.
The latest Home Office figures for June 2009/10 showed that, mirroring the UK trend, crimes recorded by police in Wales fell by almost a tenth. The Welsh force with the biggest fall in recorded crime was South Wales Police, which plummeted 13.3% to the same level as 25 years ago. South Wales Police said their figures had not been as low since 1985 and were the equivalent of 42 fewer victims of crime per day.
When immigration officials searched caravans used as employee accommodation in a Gwynedd abattoir’s car park they discovered illegal workers. The offenders were of various nationalities, said the border control agency of the men (one of whom worked as a cleaner), at the Sher Foods depot in Caernarfon. Two were arrested and remain in detention pending their removal from the UK, while two others placed on immigration bail.
A children’s entertainer is appealing to thieves to return his unicycle which has been stolen in Swansea. Uncle Sam lost the 6ft (2m) tall chrome giraffe unicycle during the theft. South Wales Police said they were investigating a break-in at an address in the Morriston area of the city.
Some police forces in Wales have stopped recruiting new officers due to budget cut fears. Dyfed-Powys has suspended its next intake of officers while South Wales Police is filling officer vacancies but has frozen civilian posts. North Wales Police said it introduced a freeze on both officer and civilian recruitment in April and it would remain in place until at least the end of the financial year. This has led to concern over rising crime levels.
Police are using surveillance images to solve an incident when a man in a Halloween disguise robbed a petrol station in Cardiff armed with an axe. The robbery at the Co-op garage on Llantrisant Road in Danescourt, Llandaff happened just after midnight a week ago on Monday. He threatened a female member of staff before demanding cash. Police want to trace a man who bought the same type of mask from the garage two weeks ago.
Police are using surveillance images to solve an incident when a man in a Halloween disguise robbed a petrol station in Cardiff armed with an axe. The robbery at the Co-op garage on Llantrisant Road in Danescourt, Llandaff happened just after midnight a week ago on Monday. He threatened a female member of staff before demanding cash. Police want to trace a man who bought the same type of mask from the garage two weeks ago.