Key Points
- South Wales Police say more than 500 people have been arrested under the Clear, Hold, Build project in Butetown, Cardiff.
- Police say 69 drug dealers have been sentenced to a total of 100 years in custody, with more cases still going through the courts.
- The project was launched in late 2024 in response to serious organised crime, daily drug dealing reports, violent crime and anti-social behaviour.
- Officers say three major drug lines have been dismantled and substantial quantities of drugs, cash, weapons and drug-related items have been seized.
- South Wales Police say the work is backed by the Home Office and is aimed at removing organised criminals through sustained disruption and enforcement.
- A local resident was quoted as saying that for the first time in 20 years they felt safe enough to walk around their community.
Butetown (Cardiff Daily) May 21, 2026 – South Wales Police say the Clear, Hold, Build project in Butetown has led to 518 arrests, 69 drug dealers being sentenced, and the disruption of major drug lines as officers target serious organised crime in the area.
As reported by WalesOnline and Wales247, the operation was launched in late 2024 after a rise in organised crime, daily reports of drug dealing, violence and related anti-social behaviour in the Cardiff community. The force says the initiative is part of a wider Home Office-backed model designed to clear criminals from an area, hold ground through visible police activity, and then build longer-term community resilience.
South Wales Police said the project has delivered arrests for a range of offences, not only drugs-related crimes, and that more than 100 years of custodial sentences have already been handed down in related cases. Officers also said further prosecutions are still moving through the courts, meaning the final total is likely to rise.
How did Clear, Hold, Build begin in Butetown?
The programme was introduced in response to what police described as a sustained pattern of serious organised crime in Butetown, with problems affecting daily life in the area. According to the coverage, the scheme was designed to deal with offenders linked to drug supply, violence and anti-social behaviour by keeping pressure on criminal networks rather than relying on one-off interventions.
Wales247 reported that the three-stage approach focuses first on removing organised criminals, then stabilising the area with a visible police presence and partner-agency support. The later build phase is intended to support longer-term improvement in the neighbourhood, although the current reporting mainly focuses on the enforcement side of the work.
The project has also been described locally as “build a better Butetown”, reflecting an emphasis on both enforcement and community confidence. That framing appears to have been central to the policing approach from the start, with South Wales Police saying the plan was meant to improve safety while reducing criminal influence.
What results have been reported so far?
The main figures reported by the two local outlets are 518 arrests, 69 drug dealers sentenced, and more than 100 years of custodial sentences handed down. South Wales Police also said three major drug lines have been dismantled during the operation.
Authorities said they have seized Class A and Class B drugs, cash, firearms and other drug-related paraphernalia during the crackdown. That suggests the operation has gone beyond routine patrol work and has involved sustained investigative and enforcement activity against supply networks.
Chief Superintendent Marc Attwell, divisional commander for Cardiff, said the work is a partnership effort, but the police element alone has resulted in over 500 arrests across a range of offences. The reporting indicates the police view the operation as one part of a wider strategy rather than a standalone short-term surge.
Why is the project being linked to community safety?
The reporting suggests the police wanted not only to arrest offenders but also to change the feel of the area for residents. A quote carried by WalesOnline said one woman told police:
“For the first time in 20 years I feel safe enough to walk around my community”.
That kind of reaction matters because Clear, Hold, Build is meant to address both crime and confidence in the neighbourhood. If residents do not believe an area is safer, police often struggle to prevent criminals from returning after enforcement activity slows.
The Home Office-backed model is intended to stop that cycle by pairing enforcement with longer-term support and visible stability. In the Butetown case, the coverage shows police are presenting the arrests and sentences as evidence that the approach is having an impact.
What do the named sources say?
As reported by WalesOnline, the operation has led to 518 arrests and significant disruption of organised crime in one Cardiff district, with residents describing a visible change in how safe the area feels. As reported by Wales247, the scheme began in late 2024 and has so far led to the dismantling of several major drug lines, more than 100 years of prison sentences, and the seizure of drugs, cash and weapons.
Both reports attribute the work to South Wales Police and say it forms part of the Clear, Hold, Build model backed by the Home Office. The consistent details across the reports are the scale of the arrests, the drug convictions, and the focus on organised crime linked to the Butetown area.
No additional named journalist byline was visible in the search snippets provided, so the attribution available from the sources is to the media outlets themselves.
Background of the development
Clear, Hold, Build is a policing framework developed to tackle serious organised crime by combining enforcement with longer-term community rebuilding. In the Butetown case, South Wales Police launched the programme in late 2024 after reports of drug dealing, violence and anti-social behaviour became persistent enough to justify a targeted intervention.
The model has been used in other areas as well, with the same broad structure of clear, hold and build appearing in other local policing operations. In practice, the approach is meant to deny criminal groups the space to operate, maintain pressure so they cannot quickly return, and then support the area so gains are not lost over time.
Prediction
For Butetown residents, the most immediate effect is likely to be a stronger police presence and continued court action linked to the arrests already made. If the project continues to reduce drug supply and violent offending, it could improve day-to-day safety, encourage more community confidence, and make it harder for organised crime groups to re-establish themselves.
For local businesses, schools and families, the wider impact could be a steadier environment if the enforcement phase is followed by consistent partnership work. However, the outcome will depend on whether the hold and build stages are maintained long enough to prevent displacement of crime into nearby areas.
