Home burglaries rise sharply in Dyfed-Powys Police force area
The Dyfed-Powys Police area has reported the highest percentage increase in residential burglaries in Wales and England, according to latest ONS figures.The force, which covers Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Powys, reported a 27% increase in the year to December 2024.Car mechanic Dafydd Jones, 27, who recently had thousands of pounds worth of tools stolen from his shed in Ceredigion, said the rise in crime was a "big worry".Dyfed-Powys Police said its transition to a new crime reporting system was partly behind the rise for 2024, adding the actual increase was 26%.The force said its officers were committed to attending and investigating residential burglaries.
The ONS data indicated a 7% decrease in reports of residential burglaries across Wales and England as a whole.Mr Jones found £3,000-£4,000 worth of tools stolen from his farm shed in Ffair Rhos, Ceredigion, when he came home from work on 12 May.He said many of the tools stolen were ones he needed for his work as a mechanic, while others had personal value such as tools that were inherited with his farm and others which he bought as an apprentice car technician.
'I'll never forget about this'
Mr Jones, who reported the incident to the police, said it had had a massive impact on his daily life."I'll never forget about this and I'll always be thinking about it," he said."Even when I go out to the shops, or to check on the sheep, I'll be thinking 'could someone be robbing the shed?'"It's just not nice when you've worked so hard for your money and to buy everything you need."Mr Jones said a rise in rural crime and burglaries had become a big worry for people in his local area."There's a lot of rural crime going on at the moment, with quadbikes and farming tools being taken."Other people that I've spoken to are scared of their stuff being taken as well."Mr Jones said he understood it was difficult for the police to monitor everything, especially in rural areas, but felt the issue was not being taken seriously enough."There should be more of a hunger to find the people responsible."
In the Dyfed-Powys Police force area, ONS figures showed Powys had seen the highest increase in residential burglaries in Wales, with an 81% spike in the year to December 2024. In Ceredigion, the ONS data showed a 60% increase in residential burglaries in the same period while Carmarthenshire saw a 50% rise.A spokesperson for Dyfed-Powys Police said: "While it is difficult to comment on the exact reason for the increase in reports of burglaries, we are aware of national reporting issues due to our transition to a new crime system in 2023 which led to the figures being more than they should be in 2024."Measures have been taken to correct the figures however this may not be reflected in the published ONS data."In amended figures provided by Dyfed-Powys Police, the force reported a 26% rise in residential burglaries in its area, meaning it still had the highest percentage increase in residential burglaries in Wales and England over the period. Powys saw a rise of 55% in the amended figures, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire reported a 27% and 26% increase respectively while Pembrokeshire – also in the force area – saw a smaller increase of 1%.The force said it "acknowledged the significant impact that crimes of this nature have on victims and the worry it can cause to the wider community".It said police forces across Wales and England had implemented a new policy in 2023 to ensure police attend every reported residential dwelling burglary.It said its officers were committed to attending and investigating burglaries and urged the public to continue reporting them.
How can I protect my home from burglars?
The charity Crimestoppers recommends taking the following steps to protect your property from burglars.Fit burglar alarms with flashing lights and sounders at the front and back Switch lights or a radio on when you go outCheck that all doors and windows are properly closed and lockedMake sure side and back gates are secureDon't leave garden tools outside, keep ladders out of sight and ensure sheds, garages and outbuildings are lockedFit tamper-proof automatic outside security lightsEven when you're at home, try not to leave accessible windows open at night
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
South Africa illegal mining: The hunt for alleged Stilfontein kingpin Tiger
Nobody in South Africa seems to know where Tiger 42-year-old from neighbouring Lesotho, whose real name is James Neo Tshoaeli, has evaded a police manhunt for the past four after being accused of controlling the illegal operations at an abandoned gold mine near Stilfontein in South Africa, where 78 corpses were discovered underground in January, Tiger escaped custody, police policemen, alleged to have aided his breakout, are out on bail and awaiting trial, but the authorities appear no closer to learning the fugitive's went to Lesotho to find out more about this elusive man and to hear from those affected by the subterranean home is near the city of Mokhotlong, a five-hour drive from the capital, Maseru, on the road that skirts the nation's mountains. We visit his elderly mother, Mampho Tshoaeli, and his younger brother, Tiger, Thabiso decided to stay at home and rear sheep for a living, rather than join the illegal miners, known as zama zamas, in South of them has seen Tiger in eight years."He was a friendly child to everyone," Ms Tshoaeli recalls. "He was peaceful even at school, his teachers never complained about him. So generally, he was a good person," she five years younger than Tiger, says they both used to look after the family sheep when they were children."When we were growing up he wanted to be a policeman. That was his dream. But that never happened because, when our father passed away, he had to become the head of the family."Tiger, who was 21 at the time, decided to follow in his father's footsteps and headed to South Africa to work in a mine - but not in the formal sector."It was really hard for me," says his mother. "I really felt worried for him because he was still fragile and young at that time. Also because I was told that to go down into the mine, they used a makeshift lift."He would come back when he got time off or for Christmas. And during that first stint as a zama zama his mother said he was the family's main provider."He really supported us a lot. He was supporting me, giving me everything, even his siblings. He made sure that they had clothes and food."The last time his family saw or heard from him was in 2017 when he left Lesotho with his then wife. Shortly after, the couple separated."I thought maybe he'd remarried, and his second wife wasn't allowing him to come back home," she says sadly."I've been asking: 'Where is my son?'"The first time I heard he was a zama zama at Stilfontein, I was told by my son. He came to my house holding his phone and he showed me the news on social media and explained that they were saying he escaped from the police." The police say several illegal miners described him as one of the Stilfontein ring mother does not believe he could have been in this position and says seeing the coverage of him has been upsetting."It really hurts me a lot because I think maybe he will die there, or maybe he has died already, or if he's lucky to come back home, maybe I won't be here. I'll be among the dead."A friend of Tiger's from Stilfontein, who only wants to be identified as Ayanda, tells me they used to share food and cigarettes before supplies dwindled. He also casts doubt on the "ringleader" label, saying that Tiger was more middle management."He was a boss underground, but he's not a top boss. He was like a supervisor, someone who could manage the situation where we were working."Mining researcher Makhotla Sefuli thinks it was unlikely that Tiger was at the top of the illegal mining syndicate in Stilfontein. He says those in charge never work underground."The illegal mining trade is like a pyramid with many tiers. We always pay attention to the bottom tier, which is the workers. They are the ones who are underground."But there is a second layer… they supply cash to the illegal miners."Then you've got the buyers… they buy [the gold] from those who are supplying cash to the illegal miners."At the top are "some very powerful" people, with "close proximity to top politicians". These people make the most money, but do not get their hands dirty in the mines. Supang Khoaisanyane was one of those at the bottom of the pyramid and he paid with his 39-year-old's body was among those discovered in the disused gold mine in January. He, like many of the others who perished, had migrated to South into his village, Bobete, in the Thaba-Tseka district, feels like stepping back in journey there is full of crossing a rickety bridge barely wide enough to hold our car, we are faced with a long drive up unpaved mountain roads with no safety than once it feels likely we will not make it to the when we do, the scenery is pristine. Seemingly untouched by of small, thatched huts, their walls made from mountain stone, dot the rolling green hills. Right next door to the late Supang's family home is the unfinished house he was building for his wife and three children. Unlike most of the dwellings in the village, the house is made of cement, but it is missing a roof, windows and empty spaces are an unintentional memorial to a man who wanted to help his family."He left the village because he was struggling," his aunt Mabolokang Khoaisanyane tells me. Next to her Supang's wife and one of his children lay down on a mattress on the floor, staring sadly into space."He was trying to find money in Stilfontein, to feed his family, and to put some roofing on his house," Ms Khoaisanyane house was built with money raised from a previous work trip to South Africa by Supang - a trip that many of those from Lesotho have made over the decades drawn by the opportunities of the much richer aunt adds that before he left the second time, three years ago, his job prospects at home were non-existent."It's very terrible here, that's why he left. Because here all you can do is work on short government projects. But you work for a short time and then that's it."This landlocked country - entirely surrounded by South Africa - is one of the poorest in the world. Unemployment stands at 30% but for young people the rate is almost 50%, according to official family say they did not realise he was working as a zama zama until a relative called them to say he had died thought he had been working in construction and had not heard from him since he left Bobete in Khoaisanyane says that during the phone call, they were told that what caused the deaths of most of those underground in Stilfontein was a lack of food and water. Many of the more than 240 who were rescued came out very made global headlines late last year when the police implemented a controversial new strategy to crack down on illegal restricted the flow of food and water into the mine in an attempt to "smoke out" the workers, as one South African minister put January, a court order forced the government to launch a rescue operation. Supang's family say they understand what he was doing was illegal but they disagree with how the authorities dealt with the situation."They tortured these people with hunger, not allowing food and medication to be sent down. It makes us really sad that he was down there without food for that long. We believe this is what ended his life," his aunt dead miner's family have finally received his body and buried him near his half-finished Tiger's mother and brother are still waiting for news about him. The South African police say the search continues, though it is not clear if they have got any closer to finding him. More BBC stories from South Africa: BBC uncovers child sex abuse in South Africa's illegal minesUnpacking the South African land law that so inflames TrumpRebuked by Trump but praised at home: How Ramaphosa might gain from US showdownTragic story of South African girl sold by her mother Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Woman is found dead at a Broadbeach park
The body of a 57-year-old woman has been found by police in a family-friendly Gold Coast park. Police officers were called to Cascade Gardens in Broadbeach at about 4pm on Tuesday after they received reports that a woman's body had been found. A crime scene has been established and the investigation is ongoing.
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Children convicted of prostitution when they were victims of grooming gangs could have criminal records quashed
CHILDREN convicted of prostitution when they were victims of grooming gangs could have their criminal records quashed. The law has changed to recognise that under-18s in these cases were sexually exploited themselves. 2 Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told the Home Affairs Select Committee yesterday: 'The law has changed but there are still people who have been convicted of crimes where they were being exploited, they were the victim of the most horrendous exploitation and they were children. 'Although the law has changed now around prostitution laws, the idea of treating somebody who was a child as a prostitute when they were being exploited, when they were the victim of the most horrendous exploitation including sexual exploitation and rape I think is wrong. 'The law has changed, we now need to look at the action we need to take to make sure that those historic cases are addressed and people don't carry round those criminal records for the rest of their lives for outdated laws and for things that happened in their childhood when they were being exploited.' The Home Secretary had asked all police forces in England and Wales to review historic cases which had been closed with no further action taken. As a result almost 300 cases have been referred to a national taskforce to be reexamined. The Government has refused to open a full national inquiry into grooming gangs, such as those uncovered in Rochdale and Rotherham. Instead, at least five local inquiries will take place to establish why and how children were able to be sexually exploited. 2
