3. Will the Cabinet Secretary provide an update on improving community safety in South Wales West? OAQ52300

We work closely with the chief constables and police and crime commissioners on matters of mutual interest aimed at making communities safer.

Thank you for that brief answer. The Help Point in Swansea has been a positive addition to Swansea's night-time economy. It's a project, actually, supported by South Wales Police, and by Swansea council and St John Cymru as well, and their work has helped retain the city's purple flag status. But there are still a number of challenges as violent crime, as recorded, has gone up on Wind Street, where this Help Point is situated near, and, in this particular case, the Swansea business improvement district has contributed, as businesses, towards Help Point in order to help tackle that growth in crime. But what other avenues might be available to encourage partners in sharing those responsibilities for keeping town centres safer, if you like, bearing in mind that other towns are looking to develop their night-time economies?

Presiding Officer, I've met with the Police and Crime Commissioner for South Wales twice in the last week to discuss and debate community safety and how we take forward different means of keeping people safe in their homes and wider issues around the whole community. For me, it is important that we continue to support the Welsh Government-funded community support officers not just in this financial year, but in future financial years. Members will be aware that we're spending nearly £17 million this year on supporting and sustaining that individual programme. I will say to the Member that much of this work would be enhanced were policing to be devolved to this place and that we could take a more holistic approach to the management of policing services as part of a wider approach to both community safety and other matters.