POLICE forces are to work with local groups in a bid to tackle heritage crime.

Following incidents such as the criminal damage caused to Eglwys y Grog or Church of the Holy Cross in Mwnt late last year, Wales’s four police forces have linked up with heritage bodies including the Royal Commission to drive down heritage crime and warned– once it is gone, it cannot be returned.

The local community raised £30,000 to restore the historic church after vandals attacked it on two separate occasions.

Heritage crime harms historic assets and sites, and includes theft, arson, illegal metal detecting (nighthawking), illegal salvage of shipwrecks, and off-roading on archaeological sites.

The initiative is the first of its kind in the UK and is aimed at raising awareness and preventing heritage crime across Wales.

Police teams across Wales will be working with CADW, Welsh Government, Natural Resources Wales, National Parks, National Trust, and other heritage organisations like the Royal Commission, archaeological trusts, and various volunteers across the sector to work towards a greater understanding of heritage crime.

Dyfed-Powys Police Chief Constable, Dr Richard Lewis, said: “Our heritage is what makes us who we are, so it is vital that we protect these landmarks and landscapes for future generations”.

Inspector Reuben Palin, from Dyfed-Powys Police, said: “People are rightly proud of their heritage but unfortunately there is a minority that don’t give it the respect it deserves. Heritage crime is a serious issue that can have a serious negative effect on our communities”.

Royal Commission Secretary/CEO, Christopher Catling, added: “Heritage crime is never trivial, and theft and vandalism are especially distressing to struggling communities who might, for example, have to find money to deal with the aftermath of metal theft from places of worship, leaving the roof open to the elements, or repair broken windows after vandalism, as happened at Mwnt church last year just before Christmas.”

If you are concerned that an incident has taken place which has damaged a historic asset, call 101, quoting reference ‘Op Heritage Cymru’.