My name is Mark Mathias and I am the Chief Superintendent in charge of the Western Division of South Wales Police, incorporating Swansea and Neath Port Talbot.
I live and work in Swansea and I am very proud of the area which we serve. My aim as the divisional commander is to continue the excellent work which is being done to make the area even safer.
Situated on the South Wales coast immediately to the east of the Gower Peninsula, Swansea is the second largest city in Wales. It grew to its present size during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, becoming a centre of heavy industry.
Today, it boasts a vibrant city centre and the Liberty Stadium, home to Championship football club Swansea City and the Ospreys rugby region.
Neath Port Talbot extends 20 miles between Gwaun Cae Gurwen in the Amman Valley to Kenfig and 15 miles from Pontneathvaughan at the head of the Neath Valley to Crymlyn Burrows on the shore of Swansea Bay.
The area as a whole consists of three main urban centres, Neath, Port Talbot and Pontardawe. Leading from these centres are the rural areas of Swansea, Dulais and Afan Valleys. Both the urban and the valley areas have distinct identities and cultures arising out of the historical make up of the area.
Although Western Division is a very large division, I am committed to retaining local ownership and I believe this is one of the reasons why the division has continued to perform so well, providing a citizen-focused service in solving local problems through work with our communities.
I want the residents of Neath, Port Talbot and Swansea to be able to go about their daily business without becoming a victim of crime or fearing crime. We are working very hard to achieve just that.
So far this year we have significantly reduced crime (12.6 per cent reduction in Neath Port Talbot and 14.9 per cent reduction in Swansea) with 3,000 fewer victims of crime in 2009-10 compared to last year.
Alongside our excellent performance in crime reduction and detection, we are also working hard to improve our quality of service to the public and improve the way we communicate with our communities.
I am pleased that we are making real progress in this area and recent surveys show that we are getting better at dealing with the public.
Partnership working is strong within both the Swansea and Neath Port Talbot unitary authorities and there is excellent work being carried out with partner agencies to solve problems specific to local communities.
By working together we can make a real difference to our communities and ensure they are safe places to live, work and visit.