A GROUP of Raglan business owners who have been victims of crime are patrolling the village at night in a hope to stop the thieves.

Following a spate of crime in the area in recent months which has seen businesses have thousands of pounds worth of property stolen, the fed up traders are now hoping to deter the thieves by patrolling the village themselves.

Andrew Watkins of D & M Watkins supermarket in the high street was targeted in December when £4,500 of cigarettes were stolen and £12,500 damage was caused, he said, "We are patrolling the village at night as there seems to be lack of police cover in Monmouthshire at night. We've heard there are only three police officers on duty at night. It's not enough.

"When I was broken into in December it took over half an hour for the police to come.

Mr Watkins said once the thieves are caught there should be a deterrent in place to stop them doing it again.

He said, "Being sent to prison is not enough - they only seem to be in there five minutes and then they are let out to do it again."

Other businesses who have been targeted include Raglan Parc Golf Club who had a utility vehicle and a £10,000 compressor stolen, Frank Sutton, an agricultural dealer had lawn mowers and trailers stolen, jewellery was stolen from Raglan Castle gift shop and Raglan Services has been broken into several times.

Mr Watkins adds, "It's just the business owners who are patrolling at the moment but we are aiming to have a private security company take over in the future."

A female from the Pontypool area has been arrested in connection with the incidents and has been bailed pending further enquiries and enquiries are ongoing into the thefts.

A Gwent Police spokesperson said, "We are aware that there have been several burglaries in the area over the past months, all of which are subject of ongoing investigations.

"So far, senior officers have met with local business owners and have discussed their idea of introducing a security resource to be shared among the local business owners in the area, police have increased patrols of the area at night and local business owners have been given crime prevention advice.

"We continue to work with the community to further reduce crime - Monmouthshire is a very safe place to live with some of the lowest crime rates in the country."

A public meeting is being held tonight (Thursday) at Raglan Parc Golf Club at 7.30pm where both members or the public and traders will be able to discuss the problem with Gwent Police and Monmouth MP David Davies.