ANGER OVER CESSNA’S ‘ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH MISSION’IN SMALL HOURS

Police group head hits out as region in 4 of 10 most dangerous places in country for officers ... including the top spot

NORTH Wales is a pretty dangerous place for police officers, according to recent Home Office figures.

Out of the top 10 most dangerous places in Wales for police officers to ply their trade, Wrexham, Denbighshire, Conwy and Gwynedd all make the list, with Wrexham topping the list based on attacks per 100,000 people.

According to the figures reported by Wales Online, the county saw 130 assaults (95 per 100,000) around 36% of which resulted in an injury between June 2018 and the end of May 2019.

Denbighshire rounded off the top three with 74 assaults (78 per 100,000) with Conwy coming fifth with 74 assaults (63 per 100,000) and Gwynedd eighth with 68 assaults (55 per 100,000).

Assaults on police officers in Wales have risen over the past two years, with statistics showing there were 694 in the 12 months to June 2017 which increased to 857 by June 2018, and 995 in the 12 months to June 2019.

However, this is not limited to Wales.

With England taken into consideration as well, the figures are even more dramatic, showing a rise from 18,220, 27,237 and 30,513 in the same time frame.

Chief Inspector Mark Williams, of North Wales Police, said: “Assaults on police officers are never accepted as part of the job and we always encourage our staff to report and record these offences so that we can take positive action against those responsible.

“As a force, we put the safety and welfare of our officers at the top of our agenda and are continuously reviewing assaults on police to ensure the front line has the necessary information, training and equipment to carry out the role a safely as possible.”

National chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, John Apter, said: “The rise in assaults on our officers is completely unacceptable and must never be seen as just part of the job.

“The recent surge of severe, high-profile attacks is a serious concern, and the federation will continue to push for increased protections for officers, including a wider roll-out of Taser.

“But Taser is just part of the solution; there must also be a stronger legal deterrent.

“My colleagues feel failed by the criminal justice system that should be there to support them when the thugs who attack them are let off with little more than a slap on the wrist.

“We welcome the Government’s pledge to double the current maximum sentencing to 24 months – something we initially fought hard for through our Protect the Protectors campaign – and I will be discussing this with the Home Secretary when I meet with her in the coming weeks to ensure those who attack my colleagues are dealt with severely.”

RESIDENTS of Gwynedd and Anglesey found themselves kept awake by a “constant droning sound” in the middle of the night.

The noise disturbed people in the late hours of last Monday and into the early hours of last Tuesday morning.

The din was being caused by a low-flying aircraft that circled overhead for more than three hours.

Our sister paper, the Daily Post has learned that the Cessna was carrying out a survey.

But many islanders and Gwynedd residents were not impressed.

One Anglesey resident said: “It’s bad enough to put up with low flying aircraft during the day without having our sleep disturbed.

“Our dog was howling because of the noise and after the plane flew away it took me a long time to get back to sleep.”

The twin engined Cessna 404 Titan aircraft took off from East Midlands Airport near Nottingham just after 10pm on Monday night and flew west towards Gwynedd coast.

It descended to 4,000 feet and carried out an elliptical circuit from Barmouth to north-west of Harlech for about an hour before it changed the pattern to more inland and as far north as Tremadog.

The aircraft flew around this area for another hour before heading north and circling parts of southwest Anglesey from 12.45am on Tuesday before beginning a return flight to its base at 1.45am.

It emerged last Wednesday the

night that the aircraft was carrying out an “environmental research mission”.

Responding to calls from residents, a Snowdonia Flying School spokesman said on Facebook that Llanbedr Airfield does not have night flying facilities at present.

“And if we did have that facility we would be considerate to local residents and not fly at this time,” the spokesman added.

Reconnaissance Ventures Ltd, the operators of the aircraft, have been asked to comment.