The South Wales Police and Crime Panel met on 3rd of December 2024 and appointed a new Vice Chair following the resignation of the previous postholder. The Panel also heard a presentation about the Police and Crime Plan and Police Demand.

Appointment of Vice Chair

The Panel noted the requirement to appoint a new Vice Chair following the recent resignation of Mel Jehu¹ to be replaced by a new independent member. They noted that:

The Vice Chair of the Police and Crime Panel will be appointed at the first meeting of the Panel following the appointment of members to the Panel and thereafter at the first meeting of the municipal year of the Panel.

Presentation: Police and Crime Plan and Police Demand.

Alun Michael², the Police and Crime Commissioner for South Wales, addressed the panel, discussing the Police and Crime Plan, police demand and the budget.

Mr Michael explained that the Police and Crime Plan had been informed by conversations with 1000 members of the public and that the main priorities were to keep people safe, to focus on harm rather than just crime, and to build confidence and trust in communities.

He reported that, following public consultation, it had become clear that there was a great deal of public concern about the level of support provided by the police to victims of crime.

What came back from the public was: 'We don't feel as though we're listened to, we don't feel as though we're kept informed'.

The Panel questioned Mr Michael about the future of police buildings across the region, in particular, Fairwater Police Station³ and Cardiff Central Police Station. They asked whether any capital funding from the UK Government or UEFA⁴ was available for the force and whether there was any scope for closer collaboration with other public sector bodies in the region.