THE woman responsible for overseeing the police service in Gwent says she is confident it is improving following its latest inspection report.

Police and Crime Commissioner Jane Mudd, who was elected to the post last year, said the report by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Service, has recognised improvements since the force’s last inspection in 2021/22.

The inspector’s latest report, covering the period 2023 to 2025, found Gwent Police needs to improve how it investigates crime and protects vulnerable people.

Ms Mudd said she was also confident Chief Constable Mark Hobrough’s reforms, implemented from January , to move away from a local area approach to a leadership model based on the police’s functions will prove successful.

“I am seeing positive progress made against the priorities in my Police, Crime and Justice Plan, and a greater emphasis on putting victims first, which I know is incredibly important for our residents.

“To ensure continued improvement I have increased and strengthened the scrutiny work that my office and I undertake. This is driving greater accountability, improved transparency and provides me with continued assurance and confidence that Gwent Police is improving its response to the issues that matter most to our residents,” said Ms Mudd

The report stated Gwent Police’s external scrutiny panels for stop and search and use of force, run in partnership with the commissioner’s office, hadn’t met often enough and there was no clear plan to increase frequency of meetings. It was also noted the panel isn’t mentioned on the force website.

Chief Constable Hobrough said the force has, over the past six months, put in place steps to address the areas highlighted as requiring improvement in the report which isn’t directly comparable to the 2021//22 publication due to changes in performance measures.