South Wales Police introduce webchats

Residents in Methyr Tydfil and Rhondda Cynon Taf are able to contact their police force online, as part of a new project, that if successful, may be trailed in other areas of South Wales.

The new initiative is aimed at residents who may not feel able to visit the police station or talk face-to-face at local community meetings. The force has simultaneously launched a new website, OurBobby, which provides the public with information about neighbourhood policing.

“I know people have concerns that affect their everyday lives,” said Chief Superintendent Jeff Farrar. “These can be raised with their neighbourhood officers at regular Pact meetings, but this is an opportunity for people who can`t make it to those meetings or don`t feel comfortable in a public setting to raise their issues with me directly.”

The service is offered in partnership with the force`s Partnerships And Communities Together (PACT) forum for local people.

Mr Phil Bevan, head of the area’s PACT, said: “It is an ideal opportunity to engage with new members of the community and find out first hand what is going on in their neighbourhoods.

“We can tackle the more obvious crimes but we can only work to solve the community based problems if we are aware of what they are.

“Often issues such as youth annoyance or graffiti make people continue to feel unsafe and intimidated when really they are living in some of the safest places in the UK.”