THE Eisteddfod gave Dyfed-Powys police chiefs a chance to explain their aims for Ceredigion.

Chief Constable Dr Richard Lewis, and the Police and Crime Commissioner Dafydd Llywelyn, spoke to the Cambrian News about their aims for the county when they visited Tregaron to man the Dyfed-Powys police stand last Tuesday (2 August).

The chief constable said: “It is important that we do all we can to reach out to our communities, so it is important to have a stand here at the Eisteddfod.

“And you’ll notice we have a table for children and activities for them. It’s great to engage with children. They may not be the recruits of today but they might be the recruits of tomorrow.”

He added: “We are fortunate that Ceredigion is one of the lowest crime rate areas in the country, and it’s my job to keep it that way.”

When asked about the rise, or perceived rise, in anti-social behaviour in the county, he said: “Summer in Ceredigion is an important time for us because children are off school and looking for things to do.

“It can sometimes look like they are engaging in anti-social behaviour but they are not necessarily.

“However, we have school liaison officers who bridge that gap between youngsters and people in the community, and we also look to other agencies to offer things to keep children busy in the holidays.

“And our police and crime commissioner funds activities to help.”

Explaining more about that, Mr Llywelyn said: “Yes, we fund what we can and work with Youth Services.

“One thing we are funding at the moment in Aberystwyth is Swansea Kicks.

“Swansea Kicks put on football activities for free.”

He added that the aim of his work generally is to “have a strong neighbourhood policing team with a visible presence”.

“And a lot of the work is about prevention and early intervention, so we have school liaison officers in schools working on that.

“We are also seeing an increase in stop and search of people, and it’s pleasing to see a positive outcome rate with that.

“The main aim is to have a visible service and a robust police force.”

The chief constable also took time to pay tribute to one of his colleagues.

He said: “Superintendent Robin Mason is retiring and it is important that the new superintendent, Ross Evans, transitions in to and works with the community, and is as embedded in the community, as Robin was.

“I would like to thank Robin for 30 years of service.

“He will be very missed.”

Robyn joined Dyfed Powys Police in 1992. He has served in several different roles across the four counties of Dyfed Powys, including periods within Public Protection and uniform policing. He was promoted to Superintendent in October 2013 and was responsible for Powys and Carmarthenshire. He moved to be Superintendent in Ceredigion in March 2017.