£90K BOOST FOR TOWN CENTRE SAFETY
EXTRA WARDENS FOR TWO AREAS: PAGES 6&7
TWO areas of Llanelli are set to be made safer for residents with community wardens and increased street lighting among measures being introduced.
Funding has been secured in a bid to make the areas of Tyisha and Elli within Llanelli town centre safer for those who live and work there.
The application to the Safer Streets Fund for nearly £90,000 was made in March and approved by the Home Office in June.
The money will be used to fund two community wardens, as well as env i ronment a l i m p rovement s , such as increasing street lighting in the area, buy Select DNA property marking kits and bike register kits for residents and a small grant scheme for community groups and charities to run their own projects.
According to crime statistics website Police.uk, 22 crimes occurred on Station Road in the month of May this year, 11 of which related to drugs, four to anti-social behaviour and three were linked to violence or sexual offences. While the town centre more broadly saw nine shoplifting incidents throughout May.
It comes after Dyfed-Powys Police and Crime Commissioner Dafydd Llywelyn secured £195,673 from the Home Office’s Safer Streets Fund back in 2020, to work with community safety partners in Carmarthenshire to tackle crime in the area. Mr Llywelyn recently met with the force’s local neighbourhood policing team in Llanelli to see the impact of the investment so far. He said: “It was great to be down with the local neighbourhood policing team in Llanelli recently supporting their work with the distribution of some of the crime prevention kits purchased as part of the first successful bid to Safer Streets.
“Primarily, this funding will reduce crime by preventing the opportunity for robberies and thefts to take place on the streets.
“The environmental improvements such as additional street lighting for example will not only deter criminal behaviour but will also improve the feeling of safety for everyone in the community.
“The additional funding announced recently will complement the significant investment we have already made to prevent crime from happening in the area and reducing anti-social behaviour which makes people feel unsafe.”
A total of 143 households have received extra target hardening tools within the entire initiative so far.
Efforts will be continuing throughout July, with the neighbourhood policing team working with Tyisha community wardens, Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service and Carmarthenshire Council’s trading standards to make sure residents in the area are offered the support needed.
Llanelli Town Council leader Cllr Shahana Najmi explained that the developments made possible as a result of the funding will “help make the area a safer place”.
She said: “It is really positive news that the second year of safer streets funding has been secured for the Elli 2 and Tyisha Ward 2 areas.
“A great deal of work was completed through the first year funding and the developments that will be made possible during the second year will help make the area a safer place for residents and local businesses.
“Llanelli Town Council is pleased to be a key partner of the project and looks forward to working with the Police and Crime Commissioner to continue with the delivery of the planned improvements.”
Primarily, this funding will reduce crime by preventing the opportunity for robberies and thefts to take place on the streets.
Dafydd Llywelyn