Neil Hamilton, MS for Mid & West Wales, and Leader of UKIP Wales is calling on his constituents to help in the fight against organised crime.
Mr Hamilton, a member of the Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs committee, is backing a campaign by the charity, Crimestoppers, to highlight the issue across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Powys.
He said: “I am pleased to support this new initiative which is calling on the public to be more vigilant and report any suspected criminal activity.
“Dyfed-Powys is one of the safest places to live in the UK, however, criminals are attempting to expand their activities into these counties and we all need to be more aware. The criminal activities include drug dealing networks and/or setting up cannabis factories which are often linked to organised crime groups.
“The new digital campaign, which launched this week, aims to prevent serious violence and organised crime by raising awareness in communities and urging people to be vigilant.
“It is vital anyone with information speaks up and reports to the authorities what they have seen or suspect. This can be done anonymously via Crimestoppers. These criminals must be stopped in their tracks and the general public can be very useful in alerting the authorities to anything suspicious.”
Last month, 17 people were jailed after a successful operation targeting drug dealers in Mid Wales, where more than £10,000 worth of heroin and crack cocaine was seized.
Detective Superintendent Estelle Hopkin-Davies, Chair of the Dyfed-Powys Serious Violence and Organised Crime Board, known as ‘Project Diogel’, said: “Whilst Dyfed-Powys is one of the safest places to live in the UK, we are not complacent about the broad and determined reach of organised crime across rural Wales. We’re supporting Crimestoppers’ campaign to help keep Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Powys safe by preventing serious organised crime.
“Through Project Diogel, we’re working with our partners to make Dyfed-Powys a hostile place for organised crime, and to protect our communities. We want to put a stop to drug dealing and crimes that are fuelled by it, such as drug manufacturing, modern slavery and exploitation, burglary and theft, weapons and violence.
“Your information can help prevent the exploitation and damage these criminals inflict on our residents and communities. Our plea is that you identify when something isn’t right in your communities and tell us about it. If it feels wrong, it probably is. You don’t have to be certain, just concerned.”
Ella Rabaiotti, Crimestoppers Wales Manager, said they were working with a range of organisations across the region as part of ‘Project Diogel’- a partnership approach to preventing and stopping serious violence and organised crime.
She said property landlords, letting agents and those running hotel and guest accommodation were also being encouraged to be alert to criminals using their premises.
Signs to spot may include: Offering to pay upfront in cash; appears affluent but wants to rent an inexpensive property; unable to provide landlord or employment references; prefers to pay rent in cash without good justification and prevents you from inspecting your property when given reasonable notice.
If you have any information contact the Crimestoppers’s Contact Centre on freephone 0800 555 111 or use the charity’s untraceable online form.
