Vale crime crackdown is a success (From Penarth Times)

Vale crime crackdown is a success

POLICE made 28 arrests in the Vale as part of the tenth Operation Arrowhead, designed to tackle crime across the South Wales area.

Some 318 arrests were made across the force for various offences, with crime reduction initiatives carried out in towns throughout the area.

In the Vale of Glamorgan, arrests were made for offences including possession of controlled drugs, burglary, theft and breach of bail, following the successful execution of search warrants.

High visibility vehicle checks also took place throughout the day, and these resulted in 53 vehicles being stopped and checked and six arrests.

A focus on the enforcement of local authority and road traffic legislations to taxi and private hire vehicle drivers resulted in 18 vehicles being stopped and checked. Only three offences were reported to the Vale of Glamorgan Council's licensing department.

Arrowhead not only involved police officers, but also incorporated police staff who made high visibility patrols to identify vulnerable vehicles where the owners had left property on display.

This led to 867 letters being sent out to motorists parked at Culverhouse Cross and other sites around the Vale.

The letters sent to motorists offer crime prevention advice such as removing all valuables from display and securing all doors and windows when leaving the vehicle unattended.

All phases of Arrowhead provided a total of 156 hours of high visibility patrol across the Vale, including 50 hours with partnership agencies, with almost 1,000 leaflets distributed to residents detailing the action being taken by South Wales Police to tackle crime.

Chief Inspector Nigel Lewis, who co-ordinated Arrowhead, said: "This was not just about arresting offenders, but also about providing simple crime prevention advice.

"Taking really easy steps such as not leaving property on display in your vehicle can have a massive impact on crime. I would like to thank the other members of the Community Safety Partnership that allowed their staff to help us in making the Vale an even safer place to live, work and visit."