The Safer Communities Conference 2026 brought together practitioners, partners and policymakers from across Wales on Thursday 12 March 2026, for a full‑day event. Held in Cardiff, the event focused on prevention, early intervention and the future of community safety in Wales.
The day opened with a message from Cllr Jason McLellan, co-Chair of the Safer Communities Board, where he emphasised the importance of partnership working and championing a prevention approach. He reflected on how vital the individuals working in community safety are sustaining partnerships and creating the space to share best practice.
Mark Brace, Head of the Safer Communities Network, set out the Network’s strategic focus and reinforced the importance of collaboration across organisations in addressing complex community safety challenges. The Network’s overarching theme of prevention reinforces the shared ambition to move from reactive responses towards proactive, preventative community safety approaches across Wales.
The conference programme included a range of breakout sessions and panel discussions alongside dedicated time for networking, exchanging ideas and making new connections. Early feedback shows that delegates valued the opportunity to come together face-to-face and learn from one another. The conference also provided an opportunity for the three partner groups—All-Wales ASB Practitioners, WaCSO and WDAIIN—to meet in person work through case studies and share practical approaches from across Wales, encouraging open discussion, problem‑solving and the sharing of best practice.
The conference was closed by the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Trefnydd and Chief Whip, Jane Hutt MS, who emphasised the critical role of partnership working in keeping communities safe and thanked practitioners for their commitment and frontline work. Police and Crime Commissioner Jane Mudd, co-Chair of the Safer Communities Board, also addressed delegates, reflecting on the outgoing Cabinet Secretary’s longstanding support for community safety and the value of sustained leadership at a national level.
Spotlight on prevention and lived experience
A key theme running throughout the day was the impact of prevention and recognising the pressures that arise when early support is missed or applied inconsistently. Across the sessions there was strong alignment on the importance long‑term thinking, with a clear appetite for stronger collaboration, better use of data and evidence, and ensuring lived experience continues to inform policy and practice.
The spotlight on three 2025 Safer Communities Award winners showcased initiatives, each highlighting the importance of early intervention and long-term support. One particularly powerful account shared the experience of a young person who had been trafficked for modern slavery and exploited by an organised crime group yet went on to receive a custodial sentence despite being a victim of crime. This example underlined the need for trauma-informed, preventative approaches within community safety systems.
The conference also provided a platform for frontline practitioners and those with lived experience to speak directly about the realities behind policy discussions, reinforcing the need to centre practitioner insight and community voice in strategy and delivery.
One of the most sobering sessions of the day focused on knives in schools, with frontline practitioners from Media Academy Cymru sharing their experiences of working with young people. Delegates heard that children as young as five have been found carrying weapons in school settings, highlighting the urgent need for early education, prevention and support well before behaviours escalate.
Sustainable funding and the future
A further theme emerging across multiple sessions was the challenge of sustainable funding. Speakers highlighted the risks of short‑term funding models, including examples where highly oversubscribed early‑intervention projects ended abruptly when funding ceased, leaving gaps in local provision and unmet need.
The conference showcased the strength, commitment and innovation of community safety practice across Wales, while also creating space for honest reflection on the conditions needed to support prevention at scale. Learning from the day will be taken forward by the Network team through continued engagement with Chairs of the partner networks and through ongoing discussion at the Safer Communities Board for Wales, ensuring practitioners insight and lived experience continue to inform future priorities and direction. The theme of prevention will remain central to the work of the Network for the coming year and beyond.
