Swansea Mayhill riot: Police 'truly sorry' for not helping 'tormented' residents quicker

South Wales Police has apologised for not helping "tormented" residents more quickly when rioting broke out in the Mayhill area of Swansea last year.

It comes as a report published today (January 24) found police left residents on Waun Wen Road "unprotected for a significant period of time". It points to issues with police communication and decision making on May 20 2021.

On the night of the disorder, cars were set alight, bricks were thrown through windows and people living nearby were told to stay indoors.

Houses were damaged and residents left fearful, with one woman who has a four-year-old son saying the "safest thing" for her to do now is to move away from the area for good.

The report, carried out by an independent panel, recommends a more detailed investigation into the police response now take place, looking at more video evidence and relevant material.

The review was carried out by Jack Straw, a former Chief Executive of Swansea City Council, Martin Jones, a retired Chief Superintendent of South Wales Police and Professor Elwen Evans QC, who led the panel.

It found problems with the chain of police command and the deployment of available resources, stating that there appears to "have been break downs in communications" on the night.

A request for Public Order Unit support was made and declined twice, resulting in the senior officer at the scene in Mayhill going "outside the chain of command" and the head of force planning being contacted off-duty in a bid to progress the request.

When the Public Order Unit was made available from Gwent, it was not authorised to enter the South Wales Police force area until "the incident had, in effect, ended."

It also points to social media posts prior to the event that "might have had the potential to alert agencies" as well as previous car related incidents in the same area and "a car chase involving the police leading up to" the riot.

An "apparent lack of understanding of the situation" within the team working off-site and dealing with phone calls from the public was identified as an area of concern. With some of the intelligence conveyed throughout the evening "often contradictory".

The report acknowledged the challenges police faced in capturing accurate information during what was a fast moving incident, but says this emphasises the importance of "joined up" police procedures.

Specifically the report notes that the events on Waun Wen Road were identified as a "critical incident" after it had ended. The report reads: "It appears to be the view that this should have been “called” sooner than it was.

"Doing so would have provided more focus and urgency to managing the incident as a priority."

It goes on to say that the evidence "clearly" shows "that the residents of Waun Wen Road, Mayhill were left unprotected for a significant period of time" on May 20 2021.

In response to the report's findings, South Wales Police Chief Constable Jeremy Vaughan said: “I want to apologise to all those who have been affected by this incident and particularly those local residents who were tormented by those responsible. We failed to take action quickly enough on the night and for that I am truly sorry.

"We have made some immediate improvements to our operational practices following this incident including how we manage information around an escalating incident and how we draw upon resource from across South Wales and beyond more quickly.”

Hundreds of people gathered in Mayhill during the violent disorder last May, which led to police being attacked and homes damaged.

One video posted on social media at the time showed a car rolling down Waun Wen Road towards another vehicle engulfed in flames. Onlookers can be heard cheering as the freewheeling car crashes into a wall at the front of a house.

The violence started during Saturday evening and crowds were finally dispersed at around 1am on Friday 21 May.

Two days afterwards, South Wales Police defended the force's actions on the night, despite some local people reporting feeling vulnerable. In a statement at the time, the police said the response to the incident was "immediate" and officers trained to deal with public order incidents were deployed to the scene.

46 people have been arrested in connection with the incident since May last year, 37 of which are currently awaiting charging decisions from the CPS. South Wales Police said they are hopeful these decisions will come in the "very near future."

The family of Ethan Powell, whose death prompted the vigil that preceded the rioting, condemned the violence at the time. They said Ethan would have been "heartbroken to have seen what happened".

The report now recommends that a "forensic" investigation take place, considering a wider range of footage from the scene, police reports and assessments. It claims this "deeper, broader and more comprehensive analysis" is the only way to full understand the issues and learn the necessary lessons.

The report reads: "It has become increasingly evident that there is a substantial body of material held by the police and/or the Crown Prosecution Service. Access to of all of these materials is necessary for a fully informed understanding of what occurred and to enable an appraisal not only of criminal liability but also of events and decision making in real time.

"We would suggest that consideration of this material forms part of the full investigation that we recommend."

It adds that there is a "significant" amount of work to be done for the police to regain the trust and confidence of local people, in the aftermath of the incident. It cites some of the views local people shared with them, including: “The police let us down”, “they didn’t protect us,” “they failed to protect us”, “they weren’t there for us when we needed them,” and “we don’t understand why they didn’t do anything”.

Police and Crime Commissioner, Alun Michael described the events of May 20 as "truly shocking".

He continued: "It is with the local community that local police have sought to reconnect and build confidence and I pay tribute to the way in which the community itself rallied and united in the face of the terrible events of that night.  But none of that detracts from the importance of the Report and its findings.

"On this occasion South Wales Police got their response wrong and the test of quality is to accept criticism when it is justified and to tackle the issues head on. That is what is happening now."

"I know how keen people are to ask why specific events happen but from previous experience – I was a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee investigating the London Riots of 2011 – I know it is often easier to frame the question than to find answers.  In this case, it seems evident that there was no single cause of the disorder and that there is a complex set of circumstances behind what happened."

Swansea Council said it has already started work to address the panel's recommendations. In a statement, it said: "We will look to further support groups, organisations and individuals who make positive contributions to the community and also develop initiatives in other areas of Swansea.

"We will be further boosting our youth services and facilities in this area as part of our on-going investment in our young people.

"We are working with residents on developing a new road layout and landscaping to create a new natural barrier on Waun Wen Road and, subject to their support, we will look to create a new play area and community space as part of this work."