What we saw in Cardiff's Ely this week was terrible. First and foremost, two teenagers lost their lives. Two families are grieving. In all the conversations that follow, that cannot be forgotten. Our thoughts are with all those who knew Kyrees Sullivan and Harvey Evans.
We must also not forget the people in that area of Ely who on Monday night had to experience nothing short of lawless mob violence, stuck and scared in their homes while watching their cars and other property burn and their community be vandalised.
The boys' families and the people in the area want answers from the police. There is ambiguity about whether or not there was a police chase before the fatal crash. People living in the area want to know whether the whole incident could have been handled better and what the plans are going forward to keep them safe.
What both these groups want is some clarity, to feel like there is someone in their corner, a person whose stated aim is "to serve the people of south Wales by holding the police accountable and setting priorities for preventing and fighting crime". Well, as luck would have it, there is a man whose own website says that this is his job. And he is paid £86,700 to do it.
Alun Michael became the first police and crime commissioner for south Wales in 2012, and was re-elected for a third term in May 2021. Front and centre of his website is the fact that he aims to hold Wales' largest force to account. He is the voice of the public to the force. But more than that, he is the eyes and ears of the public. He is voted in by them, he is paid for by their taxes and he answers to them.
This was one of the main points of the PCCs when they were introduced a decade ago: placing someone who was not part of the force as an objective scrutiniser of their performance. But what the last 12 months has shown is that far from being the voice of the public to the force, they are instead the voice of the force to the public.
Let's take Alun Michael's actions this week since what happened on Monday in Ely. There were rumours circulating that the police had been chasing the two lads who died. Mr Michael went on the radio and said this was not the case. He blamed the "rumours" of a police chase for leading to the rioting. But then later the same day CCTV emerged appearing to show an electric bike being followed by a police van.
When challenged again, he said he "was not misinformed" but further investigation was needed. Mr Michael has been vociferous in his defence of South Wales Police. I am not saying that South Wales Police have done anything wrong in their handling of the incident — I have no idea if they have or not. I wasn't there, I am not an expert in policing and can't begin to imagine the challenges that the force and its officers face every day. But it really isn't the job of the PCC to blindly defend the force.
This isn't the first time Mr Michael has done this. In 2021, after the Mayhill riot in Swansea I interviewed him and he defended the actions of the police saying he was "satisfied" with how the force responded. A subsequent report found that there were "significant failings", criticised the response of South Wales Police, which refused two requests for a public order unit to be deployed and left cowering residents "unprotected".
I would love to have questioned Mr Michael about the Ely riots but for the last day-and-a-half he has refused repeated requests for an interview. Of course, this is a busy time but his job is to front up and show that he is going out to bat for the public. Frankly, he needs to show he is doing his job, not dodge questions. If he doesn't feel he is informed enough on the issue to comment at this point, why the hell not?
But this isn't just an Alun Michael issue. Last year, I'd argue that Gwent Police PCC Jeff Cuthbert failed to hold his force to account over the near decade of failings to protect people from domestic violence and abuse from within the force's own ranks.
The family of retired cop Ricky Jones' bravely revealed messages found on his phone after he died that demonstrated a sickening culture within the force. This added to a string of other scandals such as senior officers groping fellow staff and one serial abuser being able to stay in post for over decade despite concerns been raised about him.
And what was the response of Jeff Cuthbert, the voice of the public in Gwent? He said that despite the overwhelming evidence of a wider cultural issue in the force, that it was simply the result of a few bad apples. I interviewed the family of Ricky Jones after Mr Cuthbert said in an interview that the family were “refusing” to talk to the force. They actively disputed his account and accused him of prioritising protecting the force over holding them accountable.
In principle, the role of PCC could be a good thing. However, in some cases it is hard to escape the idea that it is a cushy gig for politicians on the tail end of their careers. They are paid the same as an MP (and getting on for £20k more than a Senedd Member). The very least you should expect is an energetic scrutinising of their force, not going native to the potential detriment to the people who elected them.
One of those Senedd Members, Heledd Fychan, said today: “Police and crime commissioners are elected by the public to be the voice of the people. In fact, one of Mr Michael’s stated aims is ‘holding the police accountable’. Alun Michael has seemingly acted as a spokesperson for South Wales Police rather than the community, and I think he needs to explain why this is, and better demonstrate his role in ensuring that the facts are independently established before further public statements are made.
“Two teenage boys died, and a number of police officers were injured in the subsequent riot. It is understandable that people are now asking if there is a connection between this tragedy and the CCTV footage that later emerged, and it is imperative that the facts are now established so that the families and the wider community receive the answers they are seeking.”
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