3. Will the Deputy Minister make a statement on community safety in south-east Wales? OAQ54085

The Welsh Government is committed to making our communities safer. We work closely with our four police forces, the UK Government and a raft of other agencies to drive down anti-social behaviour, reduce crime and, importantly, the fear of crime.

Thank you, Deputy Minister. I recently hosted a screening in the Senedd of Anti Social Bob, a film produced by Newport youth offending service to combat and prevent anti-social behaviour. The project's an excellent example of the benefits of multi-agency partnership working. It received funding from Newport City Council and One Newport, and the youth offending service worked closely with school liaison officers from Gwent Police and the fire service to deliver the films in Newport schools. Whilst it was filmed in Newport, Anti Social Bob aims to tackle the issues around anti-social behaviour that can exist in all parts of the country. Our youth services are absolutely key and face incredible pressures. How can this good practice be shared meaningfully throughout other parts of Wales, and what can Welsh Government do to strengthen and support our youth justice service, in relation to community safety?

I'd like to thank Jayne Bryant for that question. I'm very grateful that she shared the video, Anti Social Bob, produced by Newport youth offending service, and it's a video that was developed with young people at its heart. It does actually show the real cost of anti-social behaviour, not just to the young person but the wider impacts on family, friends and communities. We know that using media can have such an impact and is a powerful way of educating. It also helps to divert young people from those behaviours, which can easily lead to criminalisation and long-term impacts of such behaviour. I know that youth offending teams across Wales meet regularly and they will be looking at this as an example of good practice. But what is key, I think, in terms of protecting our youth services, and that obviously is something where we're supporting our local authorities closely, but also in terms of youth justice, we have seen the achievement of the lowest numbers of young people from Wales in custody, and work is under way to improve this even further with the blueprint for youth justice that I published on 21 May. 

Deputy Minister, over the last three years, more than 32,000 schoolchildren in south Wales have benefited from vital rail safety education. Network Rail, in participation with the Crucial Crew safety initiative, have been delivering rail safety sessions to children in areas including Caerphilly, Merthyr Tydfil and Newport. Minister, will you join me in congratulating Network Rail and Crucial Crew on their work and commitment to delivering vital rail safety information to young people in south-east Wales? 

I certainly would want to join the Member in congratulating Network Rail and for developing such an innovative rail safety awareness and education programme, which engages young people and is crucial in terms of rail safety, and also gives them the opportunity to take responsibility in terms of their own safety and their peers' and their communities' safety. 

One leader who's worked tirelessly to promote community safety in south-east Wales is Julian Williams. He's retiring this month as chief constable of Gwent Police. I'd like to associate myself with the remarks of police and crime commissioner, Jeff Cuthbert. He said he's 

'been a very effective leader of Gwent Police and has displayed professionalism, tempered with compassion, at all times.' 

And I know he had a distinguished record at South Wales Police before that. I just wonder if the Minister would also like to put on record her appreciation and that of the Government. 

I would certainly want to join you in recognising the achievements of the chief constable of Gwent Police, and, in fact, he is going to be a great loss. Jeff Cuthbert and the chief constable have worked so closely together and have made such an impact as a result of that close working. I'm sure other Members here, in fact, would like to join me, as Minister, and indeed members of the Welsh Government and the First Minister in recognising his achievements.