Our beautiful rural area here in Dyfed-Powys brings with it unique challenges for us to police – and one of these is the number of heritage sites in our area. It’s no secret that people travel from miles around to visit the historic buildings, monuments, important archaeological sites, and protected landscapes here, and it’s important that we protect these for future generations.

Sadly, there are those out there who don’t respect these important historic sites, many of which are scheduled monuments or listed buildings given extra protection in law. Some examples of crimes that can seriously affect heritage sites include:

  • Criminal damage, vandalism and graffiti
  • Theft
  • Removing or rearranging archaeological material
  • Destroying archaeological material
  • Disturbing burial sites
  • Starting fires, including ritual burning
  • Illegal metal detecting
  • Unauthorised works on designated historic sites
  • Illegal off-roading

We work closely with partner agencies to tackle the issues affecting heritage sites, these include Cadw, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, Brecon Beacons National Park Authority, and Dyfed Archaeological Trust. We also have dedicated officers who lead on our work to protect these sites - Inspector Reuben Palin and Sergeant Matthew Langley.

What to do about heritage crime…

If an incident involving a heritage site is happening now, call us on 999.

If you have information about something that has happened to a heritage site, you can report that to us online, by emailing [email protected] or by calling us on 101.

Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555111, or visiting crimestoppers-uk.org.

If you are Deaf or hard of hearing, you can contact us by text on 07811 311 908.