Points to Ponder

[Ian]

Good job those voting for Brexit thought ahead, then... 

[SteveH]

We're conditioning ourselves to take no responsibility for our own actions

This week Sue Lee talks about how it sometimes feels that nothing is anyone's fault anymore.........

cont https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/were-conditioning-ourselves-to-take-no-responsibility-for-our-own-actions?IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589

[Hugo]

The 25 Most Dangerous Areas Of Wales (2024)
During a conversation yesterday with a group of people, one person said that Llandudno was the worst place for crime in North Wales per capita.     A lot of us were surprised by that as we could all think of other places with a worse reputation for crime.
Anyway I did a search on Google and the person was not quite correct but Llandudno is the second worse place for crime per capita in the whole of Wales, second only to Rhyl
What is going on in Llandudno?   Is it just a few people who are committing multiple crimes and go unpunished so that they are enabled to commit many more?
Llandudno can do without a reputation like that

https://www.churchillsupportservices.com/resources/news-insights/25-most-dangerous-areas-of-wales/

[Ian]

Not sure where you got those figures from Hugo. I traced the national stats searching by county and town and got this:

Top (by far) 3 towns in Wales for dangerous crime:

Newport
Cardiff
Swansea

Recorded crime exc fraud:

Dyfed-Powys   17,558   3
Gwent           23,579   3
North Wales   26,178   5
South Wales   43,499   13

If you look deeper, crimes per month in Llandudno oscillate between 50 and 75 reports per month. The majority of those are anti social, followed by violence and sexual offences. By contrast even 'quiet' villages in the home counties have higher rates.

Per Capita searches can be misleading, especially in areas with significant seasonal variation.

[Hugo]

Those figures were supplied by ZAM FM ltd and were obtained simply by putting in to Google " The most dangerous places in Wales"
As I've said in the past statistics can be interpreted in many ways depending on your point of view and how you want to interpret them.   Personally as a person born in Llandudno I find it strange to see Llandudno at No 2 in the list as in my opinion there are far worse places in North Wales and I'm sure a lot more in South Wales
I've seen photos of the ZAM FM team and don't think they are familiar with Wales but they have supplied those statistics,  I'm just the messenger! 

[Ian]

Those figures were supplied by ZAM FM ltd and were obtained simply by putting in to Google " The most dangerous places in Wales"

ZAM FM are a security company so it's possible any search query is analysed to scan for any possible money raising opportunities.  I'll try it myself using a VPN to see what it throws up :-)

[Hugo]

Those figures were supplied by ZAM FM ltd and were obtained simply by putting in to Google " The most dangerous places in Wales"

ZAM FM are a security company so it's possible any search query is analysed to scan for any possible money raising opportunities.  I'll try it myself using a VPN to see what it throws up :-)

Thanks for that info Ian.       I wonder if that security firm has based its statistics on the convictions recorded at the Llandudno Magistrates Court?
If it has then that Court records crimes from criminals all over North Wales and not just Llandudno and that would be unfair to the town of Llandudno
I'm extremely cynical on statistics anyway and can't believe that those figures portray the Llandudno I know.
Like all towns it has a bad element, mainly druggies and alcoholics but I still think that ita nice place to live and grow up in and is relatively safe too

[Hugo]

I have just remembered that some years ago there was a similar allegation made about the crime rate in Llandudno.      At the time the Council complained bitterly about the allegation and it was reported in the local papers
Apparently those statistics were based on the criminal convictions recorded at Llandudno Magistrates Court and the Council quite rightly made the point that the Court deals with criminals from all over North Wales not just Llandudno people.
I'm just guessing that the same thing has happened again and these firms should get their facts correct before reporting such misleading information
It does need a response from CCBC but will they do it?    We'll have to wait and see.     

[Cambrian]

I think that since the Prestatyn Court closed a few years ago - the building was actually owned by North Wales Police - Rhyl and Prestatyn cases have been dealt with at Llandudno.  This being so, it would be interesting to know exactly how the Rhyl statistics are compiled given what Conwy CBC have said previously.

My reading of the article - I may be wrong of course -is that the information actually relates to reported crime incidents rather than convictions at court.

Conwy's logic should also mean that the figures for Mold and Caernarfon would be sky high given the Crown Courts at at those two locations!

[Hugo]

Some very interesting points Cambrian but I'm not convinced about where the statistics have been compiled from.     When I was working I attended Courts in about 16 different locations in North Wales but most of them have now closed or have been reorganized so I don't know where the Rhyl information has come from

What did concern me was when I read the bit about Llandudno and an extract from the first paragraph was :-     "  Arguably one of Wales’ most infamous seaside destinations"           I don't think that the company meant "infamous"  but I do think that CCBC should take issue with the company and have this word removed or replaced by a suitable word       

[SteveH]

The probability that this will end up in rebel hands, previously Al Qaeda terrorists, and the state of the UK at the moment leaves me wondering if this is a good decision...............

UK to provide £50m of emergency aid for vulnerable Syrians
Foreign secretary says Britain is also working diplomatically to secure better governance in Syria after ousting of Assad

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/15/uk-50m-emergency-aid-syria-assad

[norman08]

Hugo most of the ones that are causing the problems in town are youngster who know they can’t be touched. 😤😡.   I’ve noticed Llandudno magistrate court has been having crow court cases lately because of the works going on at the Caernarfon courts so they will be having offenders from Liverpool Manchester & all over north wales.   

[Hugo]

Norman,  you're more familiar with the town than I am so you are probably right in everything you've said but that doesn't help the town's reputation.     It could put some visitors off coming here so I think that CCBC should tackle the matter and set the record straight
Will they take up the matter?    Your guess is as good as mine

[Hugo]

The probability that this will end up in rebel hands, previously Al Qaeda terrorists, and the state of the UK at the moment leaves me wondering if this is a good decision...............

UK to provide £50m of emergency aid for vulnerable Syrians
Foreign secretary says Britain is also working diplomatically to secure better governance in Syria after ousting of Assad

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/15/uk-50m-emergency-aid-syria-assad

Your heart bleeds for all the innocent victims in Syria,  Gaza,  Yemen etc but they are being betrayed by their own people.   The world cried out for more humanitarian aid for Gaza but when the lorries started to roll in again look what happened, they were immediately looted by the minority criminal element
It makes people hesitate before making any donations to the causes.       I wonder how much contribution is being made by Iran and Saudi Arabia?

[norman08]

Hugo I’m afraid the council here are not fit for purpose. The councillors we have now are either in cahoots with the council managers or too yellow to speak up.