Swansea city centre is seeing a police operation to boost the safety in the area and to reduce the fear of crime.
Antisocial behaviour is the new focus of the South Wales Police operation.
What they say
Superintendent Julian Williams said: "Operation Phoenix, is a partnership initiative, planned to tackle crime and disorder in the city’s High Street which is home to the city’s many commercial, residential premises and the central railway station. This area is also residential and is a base for many shops, businesses and offices, meaning that thousands of people travel through the area each week.
‘The organisations within the Safer Swansea Partnership are committed to making Swansea a safe place to live, work and visit and where there is specific intelligence indicating criminality, such as violent crime, theft, drunkenness, and drug related offences, we will target these areas using the techniques employed within Operation Phoenix.
‘The Operation itself will aim to target those persons who commit acts of criminality and engage in anti social behaviour within this area, with the objectives being to reassure the public and send the message that this behaviour is unacceptable.’
The public has seen a change in the city area after previous four operation phoenix, police claim. An operation just finished in Sandfields, Brynmills and Uplands, saw commercial burglary down 75pc, theft of vehicle down 39pc and shop theft halved in the area.
Sector Inspector for the city centre Mitch Davies said: “In the past, in particular, the feedback we were getting from local traders was great. They were finding that theft from their shops was down and arrests were up and confidence was growing in our ability to effectively deal with the crime problems in the area.
“That is why we have decided to bring Op Phoenix back to the high street, which we expect the same significant result. But this time we are going to focus on anti-social behaviours which has caused some concerns in the area. we also wanted to raise people’s expectations and improve their environment for the longer term. Real partnership working between the police and local authority was the hallmark of this ongoing campaign and so our community safety team and the local authority rolled out a proactive community regeneration phase.”
