OFFICERS who worked on one of the biggest police operations in Gwent were awarded this week.

On May 25, 2017 Newport came to a standstill yesterday when bomb scares at Friars Walk and George Street Bridge closed roads for hours, stranding members of the public.

Officers and staff who were working that day received a Chief Constable Commendation at the Gwent Police Awards ceremony, which was held at the Celtic Manor on Monday night.

The incident began at around 3pm after Gwent Police received reports of a 'suspicious vehicle' in Friars Walk in Newport.

Detective constable Samuel Bonnici was the first officer who saw a car parked near Friars Walk.

He and a colleague examined the vehicle and made the decision to start the immediate evacuation.

He said: “It was the first incident of that nature that Gwent Police have had and I think our training and the professionalism in the force meant we were able to stay calm and we had great assistance from members of the public who realised what we were doing and worked with us to make it an efficient evacuation.”

Chief inspector Huw Jones added: “We have practised and trained for major incidents and we have now put it into practice, so every piece of the jigsaw that we prepared for fell into place, from the first officer on the scene to the work weeks after the event.

“It was real time adapting because it wasn’t just a scenario or case that we had, it literally changed by the minute.

“I was one of the commanders in the control room and I could not have asked any more from anyone.

“From the officers who arrived straight away to the all the officers from all over the force who wanted to help.

“The feedback we got during the incident and in the weeks after was full of praise.”

A package which was in the car was found not to be a viable device.

A spokeswoman for Gwent Police said at the time: “We responded on a multi-agency basis according to well-rehearsed plans for scenarios of this nature."