THE Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Gwent has been officially recognised for his extensive work in improving community cohesion in Wales.

Jeff Cuthbert was honoured for his commitment to the cause during the Black History Wales Honorary Awards 2016, hosted at the Senedd in Cardiff Bay.

As the minister for communities and tackling poverty for the Welsh Government in 2013-14, Mr Cuthbert launched a new national framework for tackling hate crime which included the launch of an all Wales Hate Crime Reporting Centre.

And, as the Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent, Mr Cuthbert has made it implicit that effective community cohesion should form 'part of the backbone' of his police and crime plan for region.

On receiving the award Mr Cuthbert, said: "I want to see communities which are cohesive and which work together to tackle tensions when they arise and support the principles of fairness and equality.

"Unfortunately, prejudice and hostility still exists in many of our communities. This is not acceptable and I believe that people should be able to live, work and contribute to their community without living in constant fear of experiencing hatred of any kind."

The event formed part of the Black History Month celebrations in Wales and the award was presented to Mr Cuthbert by the Chair of Race Council Cymru, Judge Ray Singh CBE, who was the first ethnic minority judge on the Welsh bench and also the first Commissioner appointed from Wales to the Commission for Racial Equality.

Mr Singh spoke of his delight on presenting the award to Mr Cuthbert, adding: "We are committed to working with Mr Cuthbert and Gwent Police to ensure that the voices of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities throughout Gwent continue to be heard.”