GWENT Police are getting ready to appoint a Newport crime tsar dedicated to responding to organised crime in the city as part of a national Home Office trial involving five policing areas.

Merseyside Police, West Yorkshire Police, Avon and Somerset Constabulary and Sussex Police will also welcome their new serious and organised crime coordinators on July 2.

The five posts will be reviewed after a year.

Promoted to the position within Gwent Police is the current Newport West neighbourhood inspector, Paul Davies.

He will start his new chief inspector’s position next month and told the South Wales Argus that while enforcement would continue, his role would focus on working and engaging with partner agencies on preventative measures and intervention.

“The whole focus is going to be on early intervention and prevention,” explained Ch Insp Davies.

“I will be working with the community. Enforcement will still be a critical part of our strategy, but the emphasis for my role will be on engagement, intervention and prevention.

“To do this we will be trying to create positive relationships in the community working with our partner agencies.

“It’s working with health services, education, the local authorities as well as a host of other third sector partner agencies.

“For example, we already have our mini police scheme in a number of schools which we hope will create a culture of trust and foster future relationships with the community so that we can start to engage, intervene and prevent.”

Ch Ins Davies denied that Newport was chosen because of high levels of organised crime, and said the areas were chosen by the home office to give a “cross section of demographics from across the country.”

“The complex image of crime has changed dramatically through the years.

“We’re no different here in Gwent Police. We are in common with the national picture.

“My previous role covered 10 wards across Newport West, which has a cross section of complex challenges. I feel I have a reasonable understanding of these challenges within the city.

“The role has a coordinated approach in Newport. However, this will also involve linking in with areas across Gwent to ensure an element of consistency in our approach from a force perspective.

“I’ll be working with the geographical inspectors in the city to make sure we have a joined up approach.

“Initially it’s trying to understand what the nature, scale and amount is in terms of serious organised crime in the city.

“Serious organised crime is serious crime with elements of planning and coordination, such as drug dealing or human trafficking.

“Invariably it tend to be groups that are involved, rather than individuals.

“This is a new approach. It’s not just about targeted arrests, although that will continue. We need to focus on prevention, engagement and intervention – that’s really critical.”

Ch Insp Davies, who has been part of Gwent Police for 28 years, including a two-year covert secondment to the Regional Organised Crime Unit, said he was very proud to be chosen for the new role, but appreciated that it would be a “significant challenge”.