Senedd Member’s anti social behaviour video interrupted by intoxicated group of thugs

Emily Price

A Senedd Member’s video about a shocking rise in anti social behaviour in her constituency was gatecrashed by an intoxicated group of thugs carrying bottles of vodka and swearing at the camera.

Casnewydd Islwyn MS Natasha Asghar was filming in Newport city centre during the daytime this week when her video was disrupted several times.

The Welsh Conservative politician had been speaking to high street business owners who had been targeted by shoplifters and were being affected by ongoing anti-social behaviour.

In one clip, as a jewellery shop owner explained how her windows had been smashed by thieves multiple times, a woman carrying a milkshake in one hand and a bottle of vodka and a vape in the other began shouting and swearing at the camera.

Moments prior to this this, the interview had been interrupted by a separate woman who had stepped in front of the camera shouting and making hand gestures.

As the incident unfolded, Xclusive Jewellers owner Annette Farmer urged Ms Asghar’s team to continue filming.

Ms Farmer said that in the last month she had been “hit twice” by thieves that had smashed through her windows and buckled her shutter in order to grab jewellery from displays, resulting in the loss of thousands of pounds worth of stock.

She said on one occasion thieves spent twenty minutes breaking in, but that “no police came”.

Ms Farmer recently commissioned a comic book style mural on the front of her business, depicting a woman calling the police as a burglar in a black and white striped jumper makes off with a sack of stolen goods.

The business owner said her working day had become overwhelmingly stressful with fights breaking out in the street, people being aggressive and loud shouting.

She said: “People outside of the Newport are thinking, let’s go to Newport, let’s go shoplifting, because they are a soft touch and there’s no proper police and security around.

“So Newport is being walked all over. The council should look at it better and we need to get those police in place permanently. Not for six weeks. Permanently, like it used to be.”

Ms Asghar said she was deeply concerned about the mental health impact on business owners like Ms Farmer.

She said: “Behind every crime statistic is a person, a family and often a livelihood that has been put under enormous strain.”

The Welsh Conservatives blurred the faces of the intoxicated individuals before publishing the footage on social media.

Ms Asghar said it was a perfect example of the “unacceptable” anti social behaviour taking place in the day time on Newport’s high street.

The Tory MS also spoke to Tracy, who runs the popular La Belle Femme boutique in the heart of Newport.

Tracy said the city had several spots where homeless and alcohol dependent people congregated.

She called for “more police on the beat” visiting shops to check on business owners.

Safety

Operation Krypton was launched by Gwent Police and partners, including Newport City Council and Hedyn, at the beginning of July, in a bid to improve safety and tackle anti social behaviour in the city centre.

The force has carried out more than 35 stop-searches, 13 warrants and seized more than a dozen vehicles during what will be a six week operation.

They also carried out joint visits to licensed premises in Newport to assess the compliance of door staff within the city centre night-time economy and monitor queue management.

Superintendent Esyr Jones, Neighbourhood Policing for Gwent, said: “We launched Operation Krypton at the start of July and our ongoing partnership work has resulted in 138 arrests for a variety of offences, ranging from drugs supply and burglary to assault and breach of bail, to disorderly behaviour.

“We’re committed to working with our partners, including Newport City Council and the Youth Offending Service, in taking a consistent and positive approach to safeguarding the city centre from people intent on causing harm to our communities.

“We will be keeping up the momentum – and you will continue to see increased patrols in Newport city centre as part of our daily business.

“It’s important that we continue with this positive work while listening to concerns from businesses and residents and speaking with them regularly during our targeted patrols in the city centre.”

‘Negative headlines’

Natasha Asghar said: “Newport is a proud city with hard-working people, passionate businesses and communities that care deeply about where they live. But for too long, our city has been defined by negative headlines and a reputation that simply does not reflect the aspirations of the people who call Newport home.

“That is why I have started my ‘Taking Back our High Street’ campaign. I have listened to businesses and residents who are telling me, very clearly, that they want change. They want to feel safe. They want to see thriving shops, clean streets, effective CCTV and a high street that people are proud to visit.

“I welcome Gwent Police’s Operation Krypton and I am keen to see the progress of the operation, as well as the plans for what comes next.

“But policing alone cannot turn Newport high street around. Newport City Council also has a fundamental responsibility to create the conditions in which businesses can survive and thrive.”

“We cannot accept a situation where hardworking business owners are frightened about opening their doors, residents feel unsafe walking through their own city centre, or people choose to go elsewhere because they have lost confidence in Newport.”

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