With the summer season in Tenby over, local councillors have asked police to be prepared for an influx of visitors, as they predict that autumn in the seaside town will remain busy, with revellers descending on pubs to watch the international rugby fixtures lined-up.

Meeting with Dyfed-Powys Police Sergeant Stuart Wheeler at the meeting of Tenby Town Council this month, councillors fielded a number of questions and views on the policing of the town.

With Wales taking on New Zealand on Saturday, November 5, followed by Argentina, Georgia and Australia on each weekend that month, Cllr Paul Rapi asked that, now the summer season is over, will there be extra police presence in the town once the rugby internationals start?

Sgt Wheeler told councillors that there was no extra budget, but response officers would be tasked specifically to Tenby over the internationals period. He emphasised that there wouldn’t be as many officers as under the Operation Lion scheme over the summer but there would be a focus on anything identified.

Cllr. Matthew Ronowitz said that the nature of the town now was that it seemed to be attracting families back in the summer with subsequent reduction in anti-social behaviour. However, the rugby internationals attracted a ‘different clientele’ he said, with the town seeming more ‘on edge’ and he agreed with Cllr Rapi that more of a police presence was needed.

Sgt Wheeler said that the local policing team would be out and about over those weekends, with an additional response of five officers available to be tasked to incidents if required.

Cllr Charles Dale remarked that, being based working on the High Street all summer, he noted that some things had improved, and he wished to say thank you.

“There has definitely been an improvement in hours of daylight,” he added.

Sgt Wheeler outlined this year’s Operation Lion which, along with additional police resources at weekends had seen local police officers link in with the British Transport Police.

He said, from experience the trains were where issues can arise, but BTP committed to be with the local team every weekend, and those without tickets or with the potential to cause problems were intercepted early.

There would be no full feedback on Operation Lion until after the Ironman Wales event, but the general opinion was that the town was a lot better than in previous years with more families around.

Cllr Ronowitz agreed, feeling that the town’s previous ‘drinking culture’ was not as it had been during summers of the past, with the atmosphere in town, generally families enjoying themselves, with the door staff and licensees tending to turn away big groups of revellers.

Sgt Wheeler did refer to a number of problems that had occurred on North Beach, with the neighbourhood team responding to a number of parties. However, these seemed to have now located to further out of town so were not so much of a problem.

He said that here had also been a number of successful drugs operations in the area.

Cllr Dale said that a number of local people seemed to associate local petty theft with the homeless people staying at a local hotel, stating that there was also a widely reported incident at this premises during the summer which had increased local concern.

He also asked if stories about ex-residents of this premises camping on the north Beach were true.

Sgt Wheeler said that there had been no recent problems relating to the premises. Regarding the campers on the beach, it is believed that they may have been linked to the premises but unfortunately this was a person’s ‘last stop’, as once no longer staying at the facility for whatever reason, if they hadn’t been found other accommodation, then they really were homeless.

Cllr. Laurence Blackhall felt it was important to demonstrate the success of Operation Lion and that it was still very much needed for the town next year. He said that there was a danger that because of its success, resulting in the number of problems going down, there could be a thought that it was not needed anymore, but it needed to be stressed that its position for next year, needed to be maintained.

Councillors heard that the cost to the police force for Operation Lion was now over £40K for six weeks, and everything would be assessed in light of funding, but the new Chief Inspector would be pressing the case for it to continue.