Shocking surveillance footage shows five smash-and-grab thieves hitting a jewelry store in Manhattan Beach, California, before a store worker was forced to open fire at them. No one was injured during the incident, the police said. Two men were arrested in the previous robbery. We commend the swift and decisive action taken by our police force today,’ said Chief Rachel Johnson said in a statement. In 2014, the crooks, also wearing hooded sweatshirts, smashed through display windows and took only 49 seconds to shatter glasses with hammers inside the store located in Manhattan Village shopping mall. They took 20 Rolex watches ranging in value from $5,000 to $34,000 each and diamonds. We must remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity. The Gardena Police Department arrested one suspect involved in the robbery and is asking for public assistance – https://backtoglamour.com/blog/2022/09/04/three-essential-elements-for-sterling-silver-disney-charms/ – in identifying and locating the others. The suspects were able to make off with some of the jewelry they stole from the store. The same store was targeted nine years ago in August 2014 when another group of smash-and-grab thieves got away with around $250,000 worth merchandises. Their commitment to public safety and their rapid response is a testament to the dedication and professionalism of our police force. The brutes broke into the store wearing hooded sweatshirts and masks at around 12:40 pm, sprinting in with empty bags and fleeing within minutes. They escaped into awaiting vehicles that were last seen heading southbound on Sepulveda Boulevard. In a joint release, the Gardena Police and Manhattan Beach Police stated, ‘After an intensive investigation, law enforcement officials have successfully apprehended one of the suspects involved in the crime. Suspects can be seen smashing jewelry showcases with hammers in front of customers and store workers at Prestige Jewelers Friday. This swift arrest should reassure the community that we have the most dedicated law enforcement agency and partners ensuring the safety of our community,’ said Mayor Richard Montgomery. An employee of the store responded by using a firearm to shoot towards the suspects,’ Manhattan Beach police said in a news release.

Welsh Government strategy on the internal use of the Welsh language. There is an onus on us to take proactive steps to support and increase the use of the language, and to pass it on to future generations. The Welsh language – y Gymraeg – is integral to our culture, our heritage and our daily lives. Set in this context, the Welsh Government’s goal for the Welsh language within the organisation is that by 2050 all staff working for the Welsh Government will be able to understand Welsh. This will enable staff to work in Welsh from day to day and there will be a significant increase in the use of the language as a result. This is the Welsh Government’s vision for the Welsh language in Wales (Cymraeg 2050: A million Welsh speakers, Welsh Government, 2017). It is to see, by 2050, a million speakers using the language in every aspect of their lives, and doubling the percentage of people in Wales who speak and use the language daily. Implementing that vision will involve generational change, halting the decline of the last century. An important part of the vision involves renewing the association between the language and the workplace. Welsh is spoken for cultural, commercial, social and emotional reasons, but it is also a vocational skill – a skill that should be better recognised and utilised. It is part of our shared inheritance and identity as a nation. The year 2050: the Welsh language is thriving, the number of speakers has reached a million, and it is used in every aspect of life. We are proud of the Welsh language and want it to thrive. This is something we can all do together. As a result the Welsh Government has already committed to “… Welsh by our own workforce” (Theme 2 Increasing the Use of Welsh, chapter 6 The Workplace). The First Minister has also pledged to “mainstream” the Welsh language into the development of policy and to the way we work more generally. But its future across Wales cannot be taken for granted. So our goal is that the Welsh Government should gradually become a truly bilingual organisation; one in which it is routine for the Welsh and English languages to both be used naturally and interchangeably. This file may not be fully accessible. Mae’r ddogfen yma hefyd ar gael yn Gymraeg.

With that in mind this strategy is underpinned by the following principles.

It is something that can unite us as a nation. We are conscious of how using Welsh in the workplace can give the language more purpose and relevance. Making a long term commitment and leading the way: change will be incremental and will happen over time, but we intend to lead by example in the way we promote use of the language in the workplace. This has relevance that goes beyond being able to provide all outward facing services and internal formal communications in both languages. This is why our long term goal is to become a bilingual organisation. Eventually a choice of language will be available operationally within the organisation, meaning we will be able to routinely choose whether to communicate (orally and in writing) in Welsh or English, or indeed both. Investing in staff and providing opportunities to learn Welsh and develop language skills: it is crucial that effective and convenient training is provided, with people given both time and motivation to continuously improve their Welsh language skills. It is important to be clear what is meant by a bilingual organisation. This is especially the case in so far as those learning Welsh in our schools are concerned, who should understand that the language will be a useful skill for them in the workplace. Remaining an open, inclusive and diverse organisation: everyone has the potential to be a Welsh speaker and this strategy does not conflict with our commitment to being open, inclusive and diverse – although Welsh language skills will progressively be needed for more posts, developing a bilingual workforce does not mean (or imply) those skills being a universal pre-requisite for joining the Welsh Government. However, we are conscious also that steps taken to increase use of the language must be reasonable and proportionate, which means that becoming a bilingual organisation will involve change that happens gradually. Statistics show that 86% of people across Wales feel that the language is something to be proud of. The language is not exclusive to those who can speak it today. With that in mind this strategy is underpinned by the following principles. But while some are comfortable speaking Welsh – more often than not as the language was passed on to them by their families – many are not. We know that what we do within the Welsh Government will influence other parts of the public sector in Wales. We need to establish a common understanding that the Welsh language belongs to us all whatever our linguistic background. Our strategy on the use of Welsh in the workplace is, in many respects, set by the political direction and legal framework that have already been established; to promote the language and to increase its use.

This choice will be made possible by all staff being able to at least understand Welsh. This can be done in 2 ways; by existing staff starting to learn or improve and by more recruitment of those who already have Welsh language skills. They will help others to use, learn and improve their Welsh language skills – and develop skills of their own. As well as setting a long term 2050 goal we are also setting a shorter term objective for the period up to 2025 and 10 actions designed to help meet that objective. Our goal is to become a bilingual organisation by 2050, but over the first 5 years our objective is to see the Welsh Government become an exemplar organisation in increasing internal use of the language when assessed against comparable public sector organisations in Wales. This will of course take time and will require a long term commitment (firstly) to continuously improving our language skills and (secondly) to developing a working culture that understands and respects bilingualism. These, in turn, contribute to reaching the 2050 goal. Learning Welsh and facilitating its use by Welsh speakers in day to day work will be a business need across the organisation, and line managers will need to adhere to that principle by demonstrating personal leadership. Our focus will be on encouraging people to learn and to continuously improve. One of the most fundamental elements to the success of this strategy will be the learning and development on offer to staff across all levels of proficiency. We want and need more Welsh Government staff to have Welsh language skills they can use in the workplace. This strategy envisages reaching its goal more than 30 years from now, so for obvious reasons it will need to be periodically reviewed and changed. Both of these will be required, as – crucially – is plenty of time and support to adapt. The principle of continuous improvement over the long term will be based on the scale currently used to assess Welsh language skills. Our goal is to allow staff increased opportunities to acquire and then use their Welsh language skills in the workplace, and eventually allow for language choice. We envisage a process under which the strategy and changes in policy adopted under it are reviewed every 5 years. The shorter term objective will be reviewed in 2025 and a new objective and associated actions will be set for the following 5 year period – a process that will continue until the 2050 goal is reached. They will be expected to lead by example in promoting use of the language and making its importance to the organisation clear. The renewed focus on the language is to be led not just at the political level but also by senior officials.