Homes evacuated after 'device' found during police raid in Welsh town

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Homes were evacuated after police discovered a "device" at a property during a raid yesterday (Wednesday). A 100 metre cordon was set up after the discovery in the New Dock area of Llanelli, Carmarthenshire.
The bomb squad was called and the 'device' was made safe. Police confirmed a 57-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of offences under The Explosive Substances Act after a warrant was executed. He remained in police custody.
An initial statement by Dyfed Pows Police yesterday said: "Update at 6.15pm. A 100m cordon is currently in place for public safety, and means sections of the following roads are closed: Trinity Terrace, Trinity Road, Copperworks Road, New Dock Road, Marged Street
"Residents within the cordon will be contacted by officers directly. A rest centre has been set up at Llanelli Leisure Centre for residents who have been impacted by the cordon.
"Dyfed-Powys Police is carrying out a warrant at New Dock Road, Llanelli. A 100m cordon is currently in place for public safety. EOD (explosive ordinance disposal) is on their way to the scene. Please follow the direction of officers at the scene for your safety. "
An update by the police later said: "Llanelli update: EOD (explosive ordinance disposal) officers have arrived at scene.
"The cordon will remain in place until specialist officers have concluded their enquiries. Residents affected have been spoken to. We will provide further updates when we have them.
"One man, aged 57, has been arrested on suspicion of offences under The Explosive Substances Act. He remains in police custody.
"Our control room are currently experiencing a high number of calls. If you would like to report a non-emergency, request an update, or are looking for advice, please consider using our online services: https://orlo.uk/9nekU. We would like to thank the local community for their patience."
A final update from Dyfed Powys Police said: "Update at 9.50pm. EOD officers have concluded their searches and one device was made safe, and we no longer believe there is any wider threat to the public.
"The device was found during the execution of a planned search warrant, under The Explosive Substances Act, at an address on New Dock Road, Llanelli.
"Residents who were asked to leave their properties can now return and all roads have now reopened. Officers will remain at the location overnight while enquiries continue. A 57-year old man remains in police custody.
Chief Inspector, Dominic Jones, added: "I would like to thank the whole community for their support and patience while we dealt with this incident. Local people will see more police in the area over the coming days as enquiries continue."
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North Wales Live

13 hours ago

• North Wales Live

The latest North Wales police officers who have left the force in disgrace

Violent abusers and peverts are among the latest police officers, across Wales, who have been kicked off the force. Through Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to all of the four police forces in Wales, WalesOnline has obtained details of most police misconduct cases from the last two years. The list includes a PC caught working other jobs while signed off sick, a sergeant who remained in post despite a criminal conviction for smashing a child's phone in rage, and a paedophile jailed for a decade, reports WalesOnline. In North Wales four officers have recently left the force for reasons including showing bodycam footage of a dead man off-duty and making "offensive comments" The North Wales Police Officers PC Matthew Roberts showed bodycam footage of a dead man to his colleague PCSO Manon Roberts (who was also his girlfriend) while off duty. A misconduct panel heard he also showed her videos of himself arresting people and found parts of the footage "amusing". Roberts even sent PCSO Roberts pictures of the baby of a woman he had arrested. The panel concluded he would have been sacked had he not quit. PCs Terrence Flanagan and Kenneth Iwan Williams attended a domestic incident and made "cruel, shocking and offensive comments" about a victim of domestic abuse. Their "misogynistic" and "sexualised" comments about the woman - and also about police colleagues - were caught because PC Flanagan had left his bodycam on. The chief constable found they both would have been fired had they not resigned. PC Owain Lewis threw a tray of food at his ex-girlfriend (a fellow PC) after finding her in "a state of undress" with one of their colleagues. He also smashed his ex's phone and got into a fight with the male colleague. A misconduct panel heard PC Lewis and the woman had split up after an eight-year relationship but they still shared a home in Buckley, Flintshire, where the scuffle broke out in a spare bedroom. The panel ordered PC Lewis be dismissed for gross misconduct. In the cases of two other North Wales Police officers, PC Daniel Jones and PC Vincent Jones, misconduct allegations were found not proved. WalesOnline said it made the FOI requests to find out how many officers' names were protected by anonymity orders - an issue which has recently led to it successfully challenging an order not to name a disgraced former Dyfed-Powys Police officer and reporting on a troubling restriction from South Wales Police on naming a corrupt ex-officer. In their FOI responses both Dyfed-Powys Police and South Wales Police initially withheld all names, citing a need to protect personal data. WalesOnline appealed - and at one point reported South Wales Police to a data watchdog because it was not responding - then both forces overturned their decisions, although some names continue to be withheld. The Gwent Police officers While off-duty, PC Joseph Cook punched a man he had spotted leaving a Cardiff nightclub with his former partner. Cook had been drinking on a night out when he saw the pair exit a St Mary Street club and walk past him. He pushed the man to the ground and punched him, causing cuts and bruises, before other police officers intervened. The chef constable found Cook would have been sacked had he not resigned. PC Benjamin French sexually assaulted a colleague while off-duty at a party, lifting her skirt and grabbing her bottom. He later claimed he could not "really remember" it but accepted the victim's account. The chief constable concluded he would have been fired had he not quit. PC Nathan Collings isolated his partners from their families and friends and monitored their social media. He used a tracking app to monitor the movements of one partner and used a "pet cam" to spy on her at home. After the relationship ended he stalked her by going into her house when she was out, and watching the property from a van. He was not only barred from policing but jailed for two and a half years after admitting stalking, controlling and coercive behaviour, and threatening to disclose private sexual photos. PC Jack Bannister sexually assaulted a fellow officer while on a night out in Cardiff. Twice he inappropriately touched the woman's buttocks as well as making inappropriate comments. The chief constable found Bannister's actions amounted to gross misconduct and that he would have been sacked had he not quit already. PC Huw Orphan broke his wife's back by kicking her down a flight of stairs during an argument. A Cardiff Crown Court jury found him guilty of grievous bodily harm against his police officer wife Amy Burley, who was left with frequent pain and mobility issues. He was jailed for two and a half years and the assistant chief constable barred him from policing. Wannabe firearms officer PC Avron Roulstone used vile homophobic language about a colleague, calling her "that f***ing d**e" and then asking other officers: "Are you going to report me?" The misconduct panel heard he "devised a campaign" against the more junior colleague – a gay woman – and even "fist-bumped" a member of the public who had hurled homophobic abuse at her. He would have been sacked had he not quit. DC Mark Peploe inappropriately touched a colleague on a Christmas night out. The chief constable described his behaviour as "totally unacceptable" and said he would have been dismissed for gross misconduct had he not already resigned. PC Paolo Goharjouy committed gross conduct by contacting sex workers to obtain their services. He sent 57 texts and had 629 contacts in his phone who were known or strongly suspected to be sex workers. The assistant chief constable said he would have been dismissed had he not already resigned. PC John Stringer was sacked by the assistant chief constable after he was found guilty by a Cardiff Crown Court jury of two counts of sexual assault by touching, two of inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, and one of causing a child to watch a sexual act. The abuse came to light after the victim confided in a teaching assistant at school. Stringer was jailed for 10 years. PC Gediminas Palubinskas committed gross misconduct by failing to submit a business interest while suspended from duty for unrelated matters. He also "submitted evidential material purporting to be another person whilst suspended from duty". The chief constable said he would have been sacked had he not quit. Another Gwent Police officer was kept anonymous in their hearing. The force said the officer - who was barred from policing for interfering with an investigation and inappropriate sexualised communications with a colleague - was granted anonymity by the chief constable on "medical grounds" and "health concerns of the former officer". Six other Gwent Police officers kicked out for misconduct were named when their hearings took place but the force refused to tell us their names in its Freedom of Information response because more than three months had passed since their cases and the force had concerns about triggering "painful memories" for victims. These cases included cocaine use, domestic violence and excessive force against a detainee. The Dyfed-Powys Police officers PC Christopher Sanders was caught working other jobs while signed off sick from the force. He earned £450 from a care home where he fitted a floor and did odd jobs. He also made £770 tiling and painting for other clients during his months on sick leave. Last December the chief constable found he would have been dismissed had he not quit. PC Martyn Stephens behaved in an "inappropriate manner" towards two colleagues on the evening of April 30 last year. In January a misconduct panel found he would have been sacked had he not resigned already. Carmarthenshire PC Christian Stobbs quit the force while under investigation for computer misuse offences, which he admitted when he accepted a caution. He had used police systems, including "mapping technology", to monitor a person with no policing justification. The chief constable found he would have been dismissed had he not resigned. PC Gareth Horton exchanged homophobic, transphobic, racist and sexist messages with another officer. He claimed he was "trying to fit in" when he sent the WhatsApp messages to an officer from Merseyside Police, where Horton was serving at the time. He replied to "inappropriate" messages with "crying laughing" emojis and sent messages which had "homophobic and violent overtones", according to a misconduct panel who dismissed him in March. Ceredigion PC Simon Williams admitted sexually touching a woman in an Aberaeron pub without her consent while he was off-duty. He received a conditional caution and sent a letter of apology to the victim. The chief constable found he would have been sacked had he not already retired. Supt Gary Davies committed gross misconduct by touching female staff members without permission and comparing women to sports cars. The 58-year-old from Bridgend, who was nicknamed "the octopus", excluded female staff from meetings and had an "obvious corrosive effect" on colleagues, according to a misconduct panel who ordered he be dismissed. One Dyfed-Powys officer, PC Nicholas Jenkins, was given a final written warning for gross misconduct but we do not know the details of his behaviour because the force refused to provide us with the notice that was served against him, citing the need to protect "third-party personal data". Another officer, PC Lawrence Rew, was found not to have committed misconduct. Two Dyfed-Powys officers' names were withheld because of anonymity orders imposed by their misconduct panels. Both were found to have committed gross misconduct, but one was let off with a final written warning while the other was barred from policing. The force told us anonymity was granted because of "safety concerns in respect of the officer" in one case and "restrictions imposed by a separate court process" in the other case. The South Wales Police officers PC Jamie Davies started a relationship with a woman he had met on dating app Hinge and quickly embarked on a campaign of jealous and controlling behaviour which made her life hell. After pleading guilty to controlling and coercive behaviour he was handed a suspended prison sentence, 150 hours of unpaid work, 15 days of rehabilitation and a 10-year restraining order. The chief constable dismissed him from the force. PC Katie White failed to report her boyfriend's law-breaking until they broke up. She was in a relationship with a man from late 2022 until September 2023, then within days of the breakup she called police. She claimed her ex had been driving without insurance since January that year and had been driving under the influence of cannabis while his children were in the vehicle. The assistant chief constable said White ignored her duty to report criminal activity earlier, and added she would have been fired had she not quit. A misconduct panel found PC Darren Whatley acted in a "predatory" manner and caused "emotional harm" to three colleagues. He exposed his genitals to one woman, asked another to have sex with him in his car and told a third he would "gas" her. He would have been dismissed had he not retired. Off-duty Special Constable Joshua Edwards breached standards of professional behaviour involving authority, respect and courtesy with his behaviour towards an ex-partner. He would have been dismissed by the misconduct panel had he not quit. PC Spencer Crane was off duty and socialising in Cardiff's Caroline Street and the Hayes when he got into a scuffle with DC Jack Harris and an unnamed female colleague. The misconduct panel heard he grabbed the female PC "to the neck", causing her to fall to the ground, as well as "lunging" at DC Harris and fighting him on the floor. The panel found Crane was the aggressor and that he would have been sacked had he not quit. Sergeant Matthew O'Sullivan was found guilty at Newport Magistrates' Court of criminal damage but he was allowed to keep his policing job. The offence involved him smashing the mobile of a 15-year-old boy who had made hoax 999 calls with friends. The chief constable spared O'Sullivan dismissal and instead imposed a five-year final written warning. He took into account that the sergeant was "frustrated at the massive waste of police resource", and was sorry for acting "foolishly in the heat of the moment". Off-duty PC Salman Malik was driving a Tesla from Cardiff to Leicester when he was stopped by two Leicestershire Police officers. He told them the car was his sister's but that he had temporary insurance to drive it, which was false. Malik was sacked by the chief constable after being sentenced at Loughborough Magistrates' Court to a £430 fine and six penalty points for driving without insurance. Sergeant Rhodri Davies, a former boxer, was sacked by a misconduct panel after punching a man detained in a cell at Swansea Central police station. The victim, Tariq Evans, was handcuffed when he was swung to the floor and then struck by Mr Davies, who also used a "dangerous" restraint on his neck, according to the panel, who described his actions as "deplorable". Three South Wales Police officers who faced misconduct proceedings have been kept anonymous. One, known as Officer F, was recently barred from policing after he admitted the criminal offence of illegally accessing computer material. The corrupt officer repeatedly accessed the force system and leaked information to five members of the public. This is a serious offence, punishable with up to two years in prison, but Officer F was let off with a caution. The force didn't respond when asked why he wasn't charged. We know his name and his rank, but the force's chief constable Jeremy Vaughan continues to block us from telling you because of concerns for "the health and wellbeing of a child". You can read our piece on why this flies in the face of legal precedent and principles of transparency here. The other two officers were anonymised because of concerns for their safety. One was a PC sacked for gross misconduct. In the case of the second officer, a sergeant, misconduct was not proved. 'A mystery without any rationale' Former police and crime commissioner for North Wales, Arfon Jones, spoke to WalesOnline last month about the importance of transparency after becoming concerned by the anonymity orders protecting Officer F and, initially, Justin Ellerton. "Why legally qualified chairs of misconduct panels and senior police officers grant anonymity to accused officers is often a mystery without any rationale, and it seems increasingly to be the norm rather than an exception," said Mr Jones, who had a long career as a police officer. "It is particularly worrying that accused officers are avoiding criminal charges in an open court and instead quietly being sacked and remaining anonymous," he added. "It is in the public interest that officers who have committed serious criminal offences are tried in an open court the same as any other citizen. Anything else will be perceived to be a cover-up." Gwent Police asked WalesOnline to include a statement from its deputy chief constable Nicola Brain on the force's pledge to dismiss officers who "betray the trust and confidence of our communities". She said: "Our starting position is to hold all proceedings in public session, allowing us to be open and transparent with regards to the police misconduct process. But there are occasions when expert advice dictates, whether from medical professionals or ongoing criminal investigations, that some details will be heard in private session or with reporting restrictions. "It is important that we also consider the impact of a public hearing on those who bravely speak out about misconduct before a determination is made."

Wales Online

17 hours ago

• Wales Online

The latest Welsh police officers kicked out in disgrace

The latest Welsh police officers kicked out in disgrace We have obtained details of most police misconduct cases from the last two years Former PCs John Stringer, left, and Jamie Davies (Image: WalesOnline ) Perverts and violent abusers are among the latest Welsh police officers kicked off the force. Through Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to all of the four police forces in Wales, we have obtained details of most police misconduct cases from the last two years. The list includes a PC caught working other jobs while signed off sick, a sergeant who remained in post despite a criminal conviction for smashing a child's phone in rage, and a paedophile jailed for a decade. We made the FOI requests to find out how many officers' names were protected by anonymity orders — an issue which has recently led to us successfully challenging an order not to name a disgraced former Dyfed-Powys Police officer and reporting on a troubling restriction from South Wales Police on naming a corrupt ex-officer. In their FOI responses both Dyfed-Powys Police and South Wales Police initially withheld all names, citing a need to protect personal data. We appealed — and at one point reported South Wales Police to a data watchdog because it was not responding — then both forces overturned their decisions, although some names continue to be withheld. The Gwent Police officers While off-duty, PC Joseph Cook punched a man he had spotted leaving a Cardiff nightclub with his former partner. Cook had been drinking on a night out when he saw the pair exit a St Mary Street club and walk past him. He pushed the man to the ground and punched him, causing cuts and bruises, before other police officers intervened. The chef constable found Cook would have been sacked had he not resigned. PC Benjamin French sexually assaulted a colleague while off-duty at a party, lifting her skirt and grabbing her bottom. He later claimed he could not "really remember" it but accepted the victim's account. The chief constable concluded he would have been fired had he not quit. Article continues below Nathan Collings (Image: Gwent Polie ) PC Nathan Collings isolated his partners from their families and friends and monitored their social media. He used a tracking app to monitor the movements of one partner and used a "pet cam" to spy on her at home. After the relationship ended he stalked her by going into her house when she was out, and watching the property from a van. He was not only barred from policing but jailed for two and a half years after admitting stalking, controlling and coercive behaviour, and threatening to disclose private sexual photos. PC Jack Bannister sexually assaulted a fellow officer while on a night out in Cardiff. Twice he inappropriately touched the woman's buttocks as well as making inappropriate comments. The chief constable found Bannister's actions amounted to gross misconduct and that he would have been sacked had he not quit already. Huw Orphan, 32, was a constable with Gwent Police when he assaulted his wife and caused her to suffer a fractured spine. (Image: Gwent Police ) PC Huw Orphan broke his wife's back by kicking her down a flight of stairs during an argument. A Cardiff Crown Court jury found him guilty of grievous bodily harm against his police officer wife Amy Burley, who was left with frequent pain and mobility issues. He was jailed for two and a half years and the assistant chief constable barred him from policing. Wannabe firearms officer PC Avron Roulstone used vile homophobic language about a colleague, calling her "that f***ing d**e" and then asking other officers: "Are you going to report me?" The misconduct panel heard he "devised a campaign" against the more junior colleague – a gay woman – and even "fist-bumped" a member of the public who had hurled homophobic abuse at her. He would have been sacked had he not quit. DC Mark Peploe inappropriately touched a colleague on a Christmas night out. The chief constable described his behaviour as "totally unacceptable" and said he would have been dismissed for gross misconduct had he not already resigned. PC Paolo Goharjouy committed gross conduct by contacting sex workers to obtain their services. He sent 57 texts and had 629 contacts in his phone who were known or strongly suspected to be sex workers. The assistant chief constable said he would have been dismissed had he not already resigned. PC John Stringer outside Cardiff Crown Court (Image: Ben Birchall/PA Wire ) PC John Stringer was sacked by the assistant chief constable after he was found guilty by a Cardiff Crown Court jury of two counts of sexual assault by touching, two of inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, and one of causing a child to watch a sexual act. The abuse came to light after the victim confided in a teaching assistant at school. Stringer was jailed for 10 years. PC Gediminas Palubinskas committed gross misconduct by failing to submit a business interest while suspended from duty for unrelated matters. He also "submitted evidential material purporting to be another person whilst suspended from duty". The chief constable said he would have been sacked had he not quit. Another Gwent Police officer was kept anonymous in their hearing. The force said the officer — who was barred from policing for interfering with an investigation and inappropriate sexualised communications with a colleague — was granted anonymity by the chief constable on "medical grounds" and "health concerns of the former officer". Six other Gwent Police officers kicked out for misconduct were named when their hearings took place but the force refused to tell us their names in its Freedom of Information response because more than three months had passed since their cases and the force had concerns about triggering "painful memories" for victims. These cases included cocaine use, domestic violence and excessive force against a detainee. The Dyfed-Powys Police officers Llanelli-based Inspector Justin Ellerton sent messages to a known sex worker for four weeks, then collected her from her home and took her to "a location in the Morriston area, where she was led to believe she was to be paid for her sexual services." Instead he "abandoned the female in the locality" before making off. He resigned — and would have been sacked had he not — but the misconduct panel imposed an order to prevent the media naming him. WalesOnline successfully fought the order, which you can read more about here. PC Christopher Sanders was caught working other jobs while signed off sick from the force. He earned £450 from a care home where he fitted a floor and did odd jobs. He also made £770 tiling and painting for other clients during his months on sick leave. Last December the chief constable found he would have been dismissed had he not quit. ‌ PC Martyn Stephens behaved in an "inappropriate manner" towards two colleagues on the evening of April 30 last year. In January a misconduct panel found he would have been sacked had he not resigned already. Carmarthenshire PC Christian Stobbs quit the force while under investigation for computer misuse offences, which he admitted when he accepted a caution. He had used police systems, including "mapping technology", to monitor a person with no policing justification. The chief constable found he would have been dismissed had he not resigned. PC Gareth Horton exchanged homophobic, transphobic, racist and sexist messages with another officer. He claimed he was "trying to fit in" when he sent the WhatsApp messages to an officer from Merseyside Police, where Horton was serving at the time. He replied to "inappropriate" messages with "crying laughing" emojis and sent messages which had "homophobic and violent overtones", according to a misconduct panel who dismissed him in March. ‌ Ceredigion PC Simon Williams admitted sexually touching a woman in an Aberaeron pub without her consent while he was off-duty. He received a conditional caution and sent a letter of apology to the victim. The chief constable found he would have been sacked had he not already retired. Supt Gary Davies committed gross misconduct by touching female staff members without permission and comparing women to sports cars. The 58-year-old from Bridgend, who was nicknamed "the octopus", excluded female staff from meetings and had an "obvious corrosive effect" on colleagues, according to a misconduct panel who ordered he be dismissed. One Dyfed-Powys officer, PC Nicholas Jenkins, was given a final written warning for gross misconduct but we do not know the details of his behaviour because the force refused to provide us with the notice that was served against him, citing the need to protect "third-party personal data". Another officer, PC Lawrence Rew, was found not to have committed misconduct. ‌ Two Dyfed-Powys officers' names were withheld because of anonymity orders imposed by their misconduct panels. Both were found to have committed gross misconduct, but one was let off with a final written warning while the other was barred from policing. The force told us anonymity was granted because of "safety concerns in respect of the officer" in one case and "restrictions imposed by a separate court process" in the other case. The South Wales Police officers PC Jamie Davies outside Cardiff Crown Court (Image: John Myers ) PC Jamie Davies started a relationship with a woman he had met on dating app Hinge and quickly embarked on a campaign of jealous and controlling behaviour which made her life hell. After pleading guilty to controlling and coercive behaviour he was handed a suspended prison sentence, 150 hours of unpaid work, 15 days of rehabilitation and a 10-year restraining order. The chief constable dismissed him from the force. ‌ PC Katie White failed to report her boyfriend's law-breaking until they broke up. She was in a relationship with a man from late 2022 until September 2023, then within days of the breakup she called police. She claimed her ex had been driving without insurance since January that year and had been driving under the influence of cannabis while his children were in the vehicle. The assistant chief constable said White ignored her duty to report criminal activity earlier, and added she would have been fired had she not quit. Former South Wales Police Constable Darren Whatley, pictured here in 2012 A misconduct panel found PC Darren Whatley acted in a "predatory" manner and caused "emotional harm" to three colleagues. He exposed his genitals to one woman, asked another to have sex with him in his car and told a third he would "gas" her. He would have been dismissed had he not retired. ‌ Off-duty Special Constable Joshua Edwards breached standards of professional behaviour involving authority, respect and courtesy with his behaviour towards an ex-partner. He would have been dismissed by the misconduct panel had he not quit. PC Spencer Crane was off duty and socialising in Cardiff's Caroline Street and the Hayes when he got into a scuffle with DC Jack Harris and an unnamed female colleague. The misconduct panel heard he grabbed the female PC "to the neck", causing her to fall to the ground, as well as "lunging" at DC Harris and fighting him on the floor. The panel found Crane was the aggressor and that he would have been sacked had he not quit. Sergeant Matthew O'Sullivan, from Merthyr Tydfil, was found guilty of damaging another person's phone at Tesco Express in Pontypridd (Image: Conor Gogarty ) ‌ Sergeant Matthew O'Sullivan was found guilty at Newport Magistrates' Court of criminal damage but he was allowed to keep his policing job. The offence involved him smashing the mobile of a 15-year-old boy who had made hoax 999 calls with friends. The chief constable spared O'Sullivan dismissal and instead imposed a five-year final written warning. He took into account that the sergeant was "frustrated at the massive waste of police resource", and was sorry for acting "foolishly in the heat of the moment". Off-duty PC Salman Malik was driving a Tesla from Cardiff to Leicester when he was stopped by two Leicestershire Police officers. He told them the car was his sister's but that he had temporary insurance to drive it, which was false. Malik was sacked by the chief constable after being sentenced at Loughborough Magistrates' Court to a £430 fine and six penalty points for driving without insurance. Sergeant Rhodri Davies, a former boxer, was sacked by a misconduct panel after punching a man detained in a cell at Swansea Central police station. The victim, Tariq Evans, was handcuffed when he was swung to the floor and then struck by Mr Davies, who also used a "dangerous" restraint on his neck, according to the panel, who described his actions as "deplorable". ‌ Three South Wales Police officers who faced misconduct proceedings have been kept anonymous. One, known as Officer F, was recently barred from policing after he admitted the criminal offence of illegally accessing computer material. The corrupt officer repeatedly accessed the force system and leaked information to five members of the public. This is a serious offence, punishable with up to two years in prison, but Officer F was let off with a caution. The force didn't respond when asked why he wasn't charged. We know his name and his rank, but the force's chief constable Jeremy Vaughan continues to block us from telling you because of concerns for "the health and wellbeing of a child". You can read our piece on why this flies in the face of legal precedent and principles of transparency here. The other two officers were anonymised because of concerns for their safety. One was a PC sacked for gross misconduct. In the case of the second officer, a sergeant, misconduct was not proved. ‌ The North Wales Police officers PC Matthew Roberts showed bodycam footage of a dead man to his colleague PCSO Manon Roberts (who was also his girlfriend) while off duty. A misconduct panel heard he also showed her videos of himself arresting people and found parts of the footage "amusing". Roberts even sent PCSO Roberts pictures of the baby of a woman he had arrested. The panel concluded he would have been sacked had he not quit. PCs Terrence Flanagan and Kenneth Iwan Williams attended a domestic incident and made 'cruel, shocking and offensive comments' about a victim of domestic abuse. Their "misogynistic" and "sexualised" comments about the woman — and also about police colleagues — were caught because PC Flanagan had left his bodycam on. The chief constable found they both would have been fired had they not resigned. Former North Wales PC Owain Lewis (Image: North Wales Police ) ‌ PC Owain Lewis threw a tray of food at his ex-girlfriend (a fellow PC) after finding her in "a state of undress" with one of their colleagues. He also smashed his ex's phone and got into a fight with the male colleague. A misconduct panel heard PC Lewis and the woman had split up after an eight-year relationship but they still shared a home in Buckley, Flintshire, where the scuffle broke out in a spare bedroom. The panel ordered PC Lewis be dismissed for gross misconduct. In the cases of two other North Wales Police officers, PC Daniel Jones and PC Vincent Jones, misconduct allegations were found not proved. 'A mystery without any rationale' Former police and crime commissioner for North Wales, Arfon Jones, spoke to us last month about the importance of transparency after becoming concerned by the anonymity orders protecting Officer F and, initially, Justin Ellerton. "Why legally qualified chairs of misconduct panels and senior police officers grant anonymity to accused officers is often a mystery without any rationale, and it seems increasingly to be the norm rather than an exception," said Mr Jones, who had a long career as a police officer. ‌ "It is particularly worrying that accused officers are avoiding criminal charges in an open court and instead quietly being sacked and remaining anonymous," he added. "It is in the public interest that officers who have committed serious criminal offences are tried in an open court the same as any other citizen. Anything else will be perceived to be a cover-up." Gwent Police asked us to include a statement from its deputy chief constable Nicola Brain on the force's pledge to dismiss officers who "betray the trust and confidence of our communities". She said: "Our starting position is to hold all proceedings in public session, allowing us to be open and transparent with regards to the police misconduct process. But there are occasions when expert advice dictates, whether from medical professionals or ongoing criminal investigations, that some details will be heard in private session or with reporting restrictions. Article continues below "It is important that we also consider the impact of a public hearing on those who bravely speak out about misconduct before a determination is made." If you would like to tell us about an issue that should be investigated, you can contact our investigations editor at

BBC News

a day ago

• BBC News

Rural crime gangs 'scoping out' farms to steal equipment, NFU says

Organised crime groups are "scoping out" farms in order to steal equipment including quad bikes and 4x4s, Wales' leading farming union has said."They know where these items are and they often know where the keys are kept, so it can be very intrusive," said Abi Reader, National Farmers' Union (NFU) Cymru's deputy cost of rural crime fell across the UK in 2024 except in Wales where it rose by 18% to £2.8m, NFU research shows – however this was also one of the lowest figures across the Police said it was aware of the worry caused by rural crime, and would continue with operations and targeted patrols across the force area. As well as organised crime, rural crime issues include livestock theft, dog attacks and fly tipping, according to Reader, 43, described it as an "enormous issue" in Wales, ranging from everyday items being stolen to livestock attacks by dogs and damage to crops caused by also said the theft of quad bikes, which can cost several thousand pounds, was a particular issue."They seem to be high on the list of organised crime, and there are a lot of them in Wales."We're a livestock nation, and they're essential for day-to-day working life, so when they're stolen it has a huge emotional and financial impact."She added farmers were also concerned about the potential for thefts to happen "again and again and again"."These things come in waves, and we know organised crime groups are operating in communities. They're scoping out farms and they know where these items are," she said. Some farmers are increasing their own security by installing CCTV and placing trackers on their vehicles, but Ms Reader said police needed to place more resources on rural by the NFU said the total cost of rural crime in the UK fell by 16.5% last year from £52.8m in 2023 to £44.1m in 2024, praising the "power of collaboration" between farmers, police and figures show a fall in the cost of rural crime in all parts of the UK except in Wales, where it increased from £2.4m to £2.8m, a rise of 18%.Wales had the third lowest cost for rural crime in the UK in 2024, with only Northern Ireland (£1.8m) and Scotland (£1.2m) being lower, while the Midlands was the region with the highest cost at £8.1m. Garry Williams, 55, who runs a farm near Llangadog, Carmarthenshire, said he had had equipment such as chainsaws, farm tools and fencing materials stolen, as well as said organised crime groups will steal "anywhere between 12 to 15 quad bikes in the area, and that could be all over Carmarthenshire". "They'll strike in one area, and then move somewhere else," he said, adding there were concerns that some of these groups were becoming "more determined" and more willing to use violence."It does cause mental stress... it's not a nice feeling someone coming onto your farm, your property, at night," he Williams added livestock theft was also an issue, some of which was "farmer-to-farmer"."They'll load them up in the night and steal them and try and pass them onto an abattoir or the livestock market," he issues he raised were fly-tipping, particularly in remote areas, as well as dog attacks on livestock resulting from improved access to footpaths in rural areas."You can have the nicest dog in the world, but people often don't want to put them on a lead, and if they attack they can cause some really nasty injuries," he said. Mr Williams said he believed police resources was an issue when it comes to tackling rural he was positive about collaboration with Dyfed-Powys Police, including a recent meeting with the police commissioner, he urged the force to put more resources into the issue including having an inspector dedicated to tackling rural crime."It works when the infrastructure is in place, when there are officers who know about rural crime, but it can feel like a postcode lottery. What we want is consistency of that structure," he Police said it was "aware of the significant impact that crimes of this nature have on victims and the worry it can cause to the wider community".A spokesperson said officers from its rural crime team visited farms to conduct "crime prevention audits", while also providing DNA-marking kits to help protect "valuable equipment and machinery"."We will continue with operations and targeted patrols across the force area, however given the huge area we cover, it is difficult to be everywhere," they said.