DYFED Powys Police have revealed what staffing changes will be made at each station in Ceredigion in November amid growing fears over cuts to frontline services.

The force has stated that "there will be no reduction in services in Ceredigion, or anywhere else within Dyfed-Powys" when changes are implemented in November.

Temporary Deputy Chief Constable for Dyfed Powys, Emma Ackland, added that changes "will not jeopardise our ability to respond to calls from those at risk or vulnerable."

The Tivy-Side can reveal the breakdown of which teams will be based at, or working from, each station in Ceredigion as follows.

  • Cardigan: Response officers will continue to be based in Cardigan, alongside existing Neighbourhood Policing (NPT), Roads Policing (RPU) and CID teams.
  • Aberaeron: CID and NPT will remain. Response officers will be on directed patrols and operating from the station throughout the 24-hour period.
  • Lampeter: NPT PCs and PCSOs will remain stationed in Lampeter, in addition to the Rural Crime Team and RPU officers who are based there. Response officers will be on directed patrols and operating from the station throughout the 24-hour period.
  • Newcastle Emlyn: Response officers and NPT will continue to be based in Newcastle Emlyn. The only change will be that more officers start and finish their shifts there.
  • Llandysul and Crymych: There will be no changes in Llandysul or Crymych stations, who will retain their Response PC and PCSOs.
  • Machynlleth: Response PCs, and NPT PCs and PCSOs will continue to be based in Machynlleth.
  • Aberystwyth: Response officers will continue to be based in Aberystwyth, alongside existing Neighbourhood Policing (NPT), Roads Policing (RPU) and CID teams.

A statement from Dyfed-Powys Police said: "There will be no reduction in service in Ceredigion, or anywhere else within Dyfed-Powys.

"We are making changes to the way we handle investigations, which will be implemented in November.

"Put simply: most of our investigations will be handled by two new dedicated teams, based at local stations.

"These teams will comprise a mix of officer and staff investigators, some of whom will come from our current response cohort.

"This will ensure these new teams have the capacity to conduct proportionate investigations, improve the regularity with which we update victims, and reduce demand on frontline teams.

"These changes will also help us meet recommendations from HMICFRS with regards to how we record crime.

"Meanwhile, response officers’ roles will be clearer: freeing them up to focus on attending incidents, responding to community issues, and proactively policing our streets.

"So overall we will have the same number of officers as we do now, but their focus will change: some will be dedicated to investigation work and some will focus solely on traditional response duties.

"We believe this is the best use of our people and their skills, and will enable us to improve the time it takes to record crimes, respond to and update victims, and carry out investigations.

"We will continue to be visible in our communities, with the ultimate aim of response officers spending more time on proactive policing work than they do currently.

"Neighbourhood Policing, Roads Policing and dedicated Rural Crime teams will also remain integral to our overall service.

"There will be no change to partnership arrangements, the way we manage serious, complex or organised crime, how we manage offenders, or how we respond to 999 calls, and we are not closing stations."

It adds: "This work has been informed by detailed demand analysis and scrutinised by the force’s Victim Engagement Forum (VEF), with overwhelmingly positive feedback.

"Chief officers - including our incoming Chief Constable - and the Police and Crime Commissioner Dafydd Llywelyn have been fully briefed and continue to provide scrutiny and support, for which we are very grateful.

"As with any change to the way we work, the new model will be closely monitored and adapted as necessary.

"The last 18 months have shown us that we can change the ways in which we work without reducing the quality of service we provide.

"During the pandemic it became clear that remote investigations could play an important role in this, enabling us to better manage demand and do an even better job for victims."

READ MORE: Fears over changes to frontline services in south Ceredigion.