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Landscape Crime in the Flp Area December 2010 – September 2013

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Landscape Crime in the Flp Area December 2010 – September 2013 LANDSCAPE CRIME IN THE FLP AREA DECEMBER 2010 – SEPTEMBER 2013 PC 75 ROB MADDOCKS ABERGAVENNY POLICE WHY HAVE A POLICE OFFICER DEALING WITH LANDSCAPE CRIME? The upland areas of Gwent have been described by the Welsh Assembly as: ‘landscape management in difficult circumstances. The anti-social elements and history of abuse and dumping, are a case of landscape neglect at the extreme end of the scale.’ The collaboration of Gwent Police and the use of external funding, allows an officer to focus on Landscape Crime and rural issues in a way which would be difficult to resource otherwise. Forgotten Landscapes Project!! WHERE DO I START? After speaking with colleagues from other forces, I came away with the following conclusions: • Know your problems and where they exist, • Know your area, (27 square miles covering 3 policing units/council areas and 6 different police stations!), • Make contact with stakeholders, local authorities and steering groups at an early stage and the rest will fall into place! MY ROLE AS A LANDSCAPE CRIME OFFICER • Illegal use of off road vehicles. • Arson/wildfire on the mountainside. • Fly tipping. MY ROLE AS A LANDSCAPE CRIME OFFICER Also • Wildlife crime. • Steel theft. • Anti-social behaviour/crime in isolated areas. • Vulnerable/missing persons. ORGANISATIONS I DEALT WITH • Blaenau-Gwent, Monmouthshire and Torfaen Councils (Countryside and Environmental Services Departments). • Brecon Beacons National Park. • Natural Resources Wales. • South Wales Fire and Rescue. • Valleys Regional Park. • NFU and FUW. • Keep Wales Tidy and many more. ILLEGAL OFF-ROADING EDUCATION – PROVISION - ENFORCEMENT Education – over 50 warning signs on popular routes, 1000 leaflets distributed to schools and public areas, multi-agency DVD and press/media articles. Provision – Worked with WAG, stakeholders and off-road motor cycle groups to provide trails and potential off-road sites/tracks. Enforcement – Targeted, regular visible patrols, target hardening measures and multi-agency operations. OPERATIONS AND RESULTS 15 Multi-agency illegal off-road enforcement operations, the biggest of which took four months to plan and involved 16 different agencies, 10 police sections/stations, helicopters, off-road bikes, mountain bikes and over 40 people in these different roles. These, combined with my daily patrols, produced the following results, • 40 + vehicles seized under Police Reform Act or Road Traffic Act, • 50+ formal warnings under sect 59 Police Reform Act issued, • 100+ verbal warnings issued, • 40+ £30 fines issued for riding on common land, • 15 arrests for offences ranging from scrap-metal theft to possession of drugs, ARSON/WILDFIRE ON MOUNTAINS Evidence suggests that most wildfires are started deliberately with the problem in South Wales being significantly worse than other areas. In 2004 a fire on the Blorange Mountain raged for over a month costing the local tax payer over 1 million pounds and the long-term environmental damage impossible to assess. Myself and Alvin Nicholas worked with local commoners and ecologists to map out and then cut firebreaks in the mountain, then utilise volunteers/cadets to redistribute the bracken in areas previously burnt, in order to regenerate. Worked with South Wales Fire and Rescue Service to develop a Regional Wildfire Plan for the Blaenavon area. Conducted high visibility Mountain Watch patrols during the fire season to reassure the public and deter possible offenders. Asked to attend the National Wildfire Conference to speak about our work. FLY TIPPING • Worked in partnership with Blaenau-Gwent, Monmouthshire and Torfaen Environmental Services, Fly-Tip Action Wales and also Keep Wales Tidy. • Agreed evidence gathering procedure, referral and handover protocols. • 35 court prosecutions/fines completed. • 50 fly-tip sites geo-mapped by Valleys Regional Park/Fly-Tip Action Wales for their database. • Local/regional media campaigns. • Use of “smartwater” on potential fly-tip material materials to prevent and detect offences. OTHER AREAS Wildlife Crime – dealt with over 50 incidents including deer and salmon poaching, badger baiting, moss theft, destruction of bird habitats/bat roosts and theft of birds and their eggs. Given advice to a number of officers on incidents and conducted educational talks to Gwent Police Control room staff. Steel Theft – Worked with other agencies to target harden/secure potential sources such as abandoned mines and farm outbuildings. Anti-social behaviour in isolated areas – My general patrol pattern in these areas resulted in several arrests/fines for petty damage, littering, car crime and drug offences. Vulnerable/missing persons – My local knowledge was used on several occasions to narrow down search areas and locate missing or vulnerable persons. PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL • 5 min slot on BBC Wales evening news. (Landscape Crime) • Coverage on Radio Wales (Landscape Crime) • Consumer program X-RAY (Wildlife Crime) • Filming with Dr Rhys Jones “Rhys Jones Wildlife Patrol” (Wildlife Crime) Newspaper articles promoting environmental issues in the South Wales Argus, Torfaen Talks, the Monmouthshire Herald, the Heritage News and on twitter! Several multi-agency DVD’s produced which have been included on You-Tube and also the National School-Beat Website. STEERING GROUPS I represented Gwent Police on the following steering groups: • The Welsh Off-Road Motor Vehicle Steering Group, • South East Wales Fly-tip Forum, • Greater Gwent Biodiversity Action Group and • The Wales Wildlife and Environmental Crime Steering Group. INTELLIGENCE • Developed Farm Watch in Blaenau-Gwent, Monmouthshire and Torfaen. • Car Park Watch, Mountain Watch and Perigrine Watch, • OWL (On-line Watch System). • Stakeholders, (promoted lines of reporting). EDUCATION • Worked on the 2012 and 2013 Crucial Crew events in Monmouthshire, Torfaen and Blaenau-Gwent whereby over 4000 yr 6 pupils (10yrs) were given an input into countryside dangers including potential consequences of littering/ fly-tipping, animal control and setting of fires. • Worked with local schools to produce “In the Countryside!” an interactive DVD aimed at keeping safe in the rural areas, which incorporated the above. (on school-beat website) CRIME TRAINING PACKS Devised and produced Staff Crime Training booklets and accompanying pocket book. These contain relevant information on how to report incidents and crimes, brief legislation on types of landscape crimes and evidence gathering and were handed out to Torfaen, Blaenau-Gwent and Monmouthshire Countryside and Environmental Services, local councils, stakeholders and community volunteers. IMPACT • The number of off-road vehicles seen in the area was down by 53% • The number of calls of complaint from members of the public was down by 56% • Feedback from commoners and residents said that illegal off-roading in the area was down. • Fly-tips were mostly cleaned up within 48 hours of referral and new incidents were rare. • The number of reported thefts from tourist attraction sites fell by 43% • Partnership working between Police and local authorities led to more in- depth investigations, faster timescales for prosecutions and a greater number of publicised convictions in the area. RECOMMENDATIONS Prior to leaving the project I only made one recommendation, “the need for a strong exit strategy and a continued police presence,” Otherwise potential consequences being: • A reduction of the flow of information and intelligence to the police, • A rise in offences associated with Landscape Crime, • An increased lack of confidence in local police and • A reduction in members of the public visiting the area. THE FUTURE!!! • “Your appointment was a positive and constructive initiative which has seen the number of incidents reported to me reduced dramatically. In addition, your role has altered the way in which the police force are viewed within the area, because you have become a point of contact for the farmers and someone who they have confidence in.” Gwyn Davies, Gwent County Executive Officer, Farmers Union of Wales. • “I am able to talk and work with PC Maddocks in trying to tackle all aspects of Forest crime ranging from fires, fence-line cutting, fly- tipping, dumping of illegal substances, timber theft and wildlife and conservation issues. He knows what everyone is thinking and doing and you can always talk to him.” Andrew Powell, Woodland Manager, Forestry Commission Wales. THE FUTURE !!! • “Without wardening and follow up police action, illegal off-roading could potentially become more prevalent in urban fringe areas, as was the case prior to Robs appointment. This could potentially have an impact on sensitive upland sites including the landscape character of the area and deter recreational visitors coming to the area for quiet recreation.” Linda Ashton, Senior Recreation and Partnerships Officer, Countryside Council for Wales..
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