The town is one of more than 500 locations across the UK signed up to the Home Secretary’s Safer Streets summer blitz, which will see Dyfed Powys Police ramp up visible patrols during peak hours and work alongside councils and local partners to deter criminal activity.
The initiative has been welcomed by Dame Nia Griffith, Labour MP for Llanelli, who said the increased presence would help restore confidence among shoppers and businesses:
“Residents and local businesses have the right to feel safe in our town centre and the increased policing and enforcement will play an important part in sending a clear message to those intent on causing problems that their behaviour will not be tolerated. Putting more officers back on the beat where people can see them will make a real difference.”
She added:
“The Conservatives decimated neighbourhood policing whilst crimes like shoplifting and street theft were spiralling out of control and communities like ours here in Llanelli unfortunately paid the price.”
The crackdown comes in response to a sharp rise in shoplifting and street crime under the previous UK Conservative Government, with shop theft reportedly increasing by 70% in its final two years in office.
As part of the UK Labour Government’s Plan for Change, Dyfed Powys Police will receive 33 additional neighbourhood officers this year, backed by a £200 million investment in community policing nationwide.
Local Police and Crime Commissioners have developed bespoke action plans designed to support town centres by banning repeat offenders from hotspots, partnering with retailers and councils to disrupt crime, and coordinating community-led efforts to support vulnerable individuals and young people.
The Home Office is also introducing a Tackling Retail Crime Together Strategy, which will use shared data to target organised criminal gangs and prolific offenders, including those stealing to fund addiction.
Other towns in the Dyfed Powys area participating in the blitz include Carmarthen, Aberystwyth, Brecon, Builth Wells, Haverfordwest, Milford Haven, Newtown and Tenby.
