164 people banned from city centre in conduct crackdown

POLICE have banned 164 people from Swansea city centre in a major crackdown on beggars and misbehavers.

A four-month police crackdown on anti-social behaviour in Swansea, funded by Swansea BID (Business Improvement District) has led to the banning notices being issued.

Operation Red Kappa, which began on July 1, has been running until the end of October.

Police and BID-funded officers focused on anti-social behaviour and street begging in the city centre’s main shopping streets and thoroughfares.

Swansea BID chief executive, Russell Greenslade, said: “Of course, South Wales Police always have a keen eye on anti-social behaviour on our city-centre streets, but bespoke operations based on our businesses feedback such as Red Kappa are important to focus resources upon particular trouble spots and times of increased anti-social behaviour.

“We are pleased that Swansea BID is able to help direct resources to worrisome issues such as anti-social behaviour and street begging, since we know that they really impact our BID area businesses and, in turn, their customers and clients.”

He said one of the main strands of the Purple Flag scheme, of which Swansea was a member, and the Best Bar None scheme, which many night-time businesses were signed up to, was about minimising anti-social behaviour so people could enjoy a safe and secure city centre day and night.

“So I feel this is something we have really gotten to grips with in Swansea.

“Policing, of course, isn’t just about issuing banning notices and making arrests, it is also about being a visible, approachable, integral part of the local community. This is something our city-centre police are particularly good at and I am pleased that, during Operation Red Kappa, they were able to visit more than 60 businesses to keep them updated about the operation and its progress. I know this is much appreciated by our BID area businesses.”

South Wales Police Inspector Mark Davies said: “We are pleased with the results of Operation Red Kappa, which has helped to improve the city-centre area for those who work, live and visit the area by delivering an extra 216 police-officer hours in the area. The figures speak for themselves in that we issued 164 banning notices excluding some people from the city centre for a period of time and more than 45 arrests were made.”