OP RHINESTONE | Facebook reports of an incident at Pembrey Beach

We were made aware of a Facebook post over the weekend claiming that a man walking his dog had been apprehended by two men with a knife in the Pembrey beach area and that they had been arrested and were in police custody.

As part of the task force set up to tackle dog thefts in the force area, officers swiftly made enquiries in respect of this information, and it transpired this incident had not been reported to police. Further extensive enquires took place with all those involved, and we can reassure the community that the incident did not happen.

Chief Inspector Mark McSweeney said “The author of the post had received the information from what they believed to be a reliable source and had posted the entirely well intentioned warning to dog walkers without checking the authenticity of the information.

“We would reiterate that reported incidents of dogs being taken in this manner are low. At this point, we have only had one incident of this nature, where an individual and his dog were approached in public and attempts made to take the dog, reported to us. The investigation into that reported incident is ongoing.

“We can reassure the community that we are taking this very seriously – we understand the anxiety surrounding this issue as a dog is very much part of the family and we are aware of the impact that such a crime can have.

“We are aware that there are reports of suspicious behaviour circulating on social media, please report these to us. This will help us monitor the situation and build a bigger picture.

“Please follow the crime prevention advice to keep your dog safe, and don’t do anything that would risk your own personal safety. Walkers are advised to use well-known paths where there are likely to be other people around, to carry a mobile phone and to remain vigilant.”

If an incident occurs, contact police immediately by calling 999.

In a non-urgent situation, you can report to police in one of the following ways:

Online: bit.ly/DPP101Online

Email: [email protected]

Call: 101