 I'm very pleased the Welsh Government has funded 500 community support officers right across Wales and that most of these are now in post. It's very good to see how they reassure members of the public and how they are supporting police in the communities. Community support officers are an excellent addition to warranted police officers. They're not instead of, they're an addition and having spoken to members of the public they feel very reassured that these are people that they can go up to, talk about low-level anti-social behaviour and they know that their concerns will be acted upon. The skills of actually patrolling the streets on foot and interacting with people is a skill that has perhaps been neglected in previous times but has been reawakened with the role of a community support officer. It's a good way of making relationships, information gathering, being out there on the street that we wouldn't get if we were inside or in a car. And when we hold on local surgeries they're brilliant because we have confidential areas where people can come up to us and give us information or any worries that they have about their local areas. I've been in business in the town for about 25 years. I've noticed a big difference ever since they've started patrolling the streets. Mae nifer swyddogion cyfnogi yn yr eil wedi trefwyd os yd blwyddyn dweud a'r mae hyn yn o'r helwed cyfnogaeth o'r chwweodraeth Cymru. The main job that we do is replace the railway network. This encompasses a proactive police approach. So we engage with the community on a regular basis but 80% of our time is either on the platform or on the trains. We deal with things from anti-social behaviour to managing rowdy children, drug use, fights, alcohol, everything we deal with. Basically they're a normal police force we deal with. A visible presence is always a deterrent with crime. It makes people feel safer on the trains. It's kind of the ethos of a bobby on the beat, something that they've grown up with and they like to see it more. Then you've got young children who we'll just engage with on the train, have a little chat with them about track safety and how they behave on the train and empowering them to travel safely and securely and independently. We go into the schools, they get a chance to talk to someone in uniform which is a major barrier for them and see that there is a human persona behind the uniform. One of my best roles I think in this job at the moment is doing the follow-up reassurance visits to any victims of crime. So if any of our residents have been a victim of crime they will be on edge and they will be, if you like, a little bit more vulnerable. We go in those next few days as a reassurance to knock on the door. If they need any contacts, we liaise with partner companies or partner agencies to put them in touch if they need anything further. A lot of the residents are now aware that we do cover two patches where they are quite close to each other, the two quite big areas to cover so I'm either on foot or on a bicycle. So a lot of the residents know if it is, they do see a police cycle cycle and it's usually me so they usually give me a wave. I really feel part of the community and feel like I belong there and I really feel like I am valued. We've had quite a lot of good feedback from the local community especially among the residents. We've been really pleased to see a policeman on the streets for the first time in a couple of years. We've been doing the job now for about six months I think the best part of the job is meeting the community being out and about, you know, talking to the local people finding out the local issues and trying to help them as best we can from there. In Newport Central we come across lots of antisocial behaviour both in terms of children who are coming in to cause some issues and also people who are coming to enjoy the night time economy and who are drinking alcohol in the streets often causes some problems. We like to intervene as early on as we can to avoid there being problems further on in the night so we use techniques where we approach them as friendly as we can be to start with. We are asked to confiscate alcohol. People definitely feel threatened and I think by giving a visible presence at night time this helps people to feel more comfortable. As I already live in Newport and I'm only 21 I find it easier to interact and talk to them as they are around the same age as myself. We also carry around with us another radio which links us to close circuit TV. This allows us to keep an eye on action within the town and then get in contact with other police officers to help us. Community support officers have become an integral part of the wider policing family. Through their visible and reassuring presence in our communities they have quickly earned the trust and confidence of the public. They have shown their value in tackling crime and disorder and delivering lasting solutions to community problems. The Chief Constables in Wales welcomed the commitment of the Welsh Government to making Wales a safer place for everyone and we look forward to their continued support in the future. Many people have a fear of crime particularly young people and older people and it was good to speak with community support officers and hear how they are going out into the community into youth clubs, into care homes and talking to people about their concerns.