Welsh police drive crime from valleys

Crime has dropped by a quarter, the force has twice the national detection rate, and in 1993 all 47 rapes and seven murders were solved, reports Michael Prestage

In the close-knit community of the Llanfihangel-Nant-Bran valley, strangers are conspicuous and a farmer's wife, Fiona Jones, has no compunction about ringing the police with the registration number of vehicles that she does not recognise.

Her attitude is mirrored by others in the 180-strong, largely farming locality in Powys. Their endeavours helped ensure that the valley was crime-free last year. The last offence was in 1993, when locals were horrified that a holiday home was broken into. Misdemeanours are so rare that the vandalism of a roadroller is recalled, though it was more than 20 years ago.

Llanfihangel-Nant-Bran is not unique in this part of Wales. In a 71,000- acre swathe of rural Wales west of Brecon, there were 14 burglaries last year. Five were solved in one night when one of Mrs Jones' counterparts rang with the number of a suspicious car and the criminal was apprehended.

Like most criminals in this area, the burglar had driven in. The cities and urban valleys of south Wales, Birmingham, Merseyside and Manchester are responsible for the bulk of the area's crime. Only by working closely with the local community can Dyfed Powys police hope to tackle the migratory villains.

PC Mark Doran is one of three rural officers with responsibility for this area. He is a regular at social functions and on market day. At Easter he took a local rugby side on a tour to Liverpool. Building strong local ties is given high priority, although this aspect of policing has disappeared elsewhere.

On Saturday, with a colleague, PC Keith Williams, he was chatting to local farmers. The progress of the lambing season and the poor state of the national rugby side dominated the conversation. But Owen Jones, the local Farm Watch Co-ordinator, had other news. A building contractor had left thousands of pounds of equipment unattended and he was concerned. The officers promised to check.

Mr Jones said: "People here keep their eyes open. Everybody knows everyone, so anything suspicious, or out of the ordinary, is quickly spotted. It's a good thing to see the police around and know who they are, but the local lads have to watch their drink-driving."

As well as strong local links, Dyfed Powys has pioneered the use of new technology, and has taken on civilian employees and volunteers to cut down the burden of paperwork for operational officers. Innovation, coupled with a traditional approach, has helped to put the force at the top of the national tables for solved crimes.

The success is reflected in figures to be published this week. Since 1993, crime has dropped by a quarter. Although the force has the largest acreage in England and Wales, it has twice the national detection rate. In 1993, there were 47 rapes and seven murders. All were solved.

Chief Constable Ray White is keen to scotch the view that this is due more to the nature of the areas as a rural backwater than the efforts of his officers. The large size - as long as the distance from London to Leeds - and the fact that it is impossible to target known villains, as they move into the area, creates its own problems.

Unlike other forces where reported crimes are screened first, Dyfed Powys investigates every crime. This takes place in spite of budget cuts. It instils public confidence and boosts the detection rate. Mr White said: "Our policy of maintaining a traditional policing system supported by top quality specialist staff and modern technology has proved to be a winning formula. We are not into making comparisons with other forces. We have to devise policies that meet the needs of this area."