The Hayes

Cardiff is the capital city of Wales and the fastest growing capital in Western Europe.

The City and County of Cardiff is divided into sectors, based on combining council wards which each come under the command of a sector inspector.

Each sector aims to deliver a locally accountable and equitable policing service, responding not only to national government targets but also to the needs and problems of all the communities of Cardiff

Home to the Millennium Stadium, the largest undercover stadium in Europe, which was built for the final of the Rugby World Cup, but went on to provide the city with an international focus when it staged the FA Cup Finals while the new Wembley Stadium was being built.

The city is about to get another new stadium in Leckwith. Cardiff City Football Club and Cardiff Blues move to their new joint home in time for the 2010/11 season. It will be an end of an era as Ninian Park is resigned to the history books.

Cardiff has altered beyond recognition over the past 20 years with massive investment and the regeneration of the docks into a stunning waterfront development, known as Cardiff Bay.

Millennium Stadium

Cardiff Bay is home to some of the city's most iconic building including the Wales Millennium Centre, Senedd, and the the soon-to-be-complete new divisional headquarters.

Cardiff is marketed as a vibrant cosmopolitan city with many opportunities for ‘retail therapy’, but has a historic ‘heart’ with Cardiff Castle, the Civic Centre and, on the outskirts, the fairy tale castle of Castell Coch and the world renowned, Museum of Welsh Life. Despite this regeneration, there remain over 3,000 acres of parks and gardens.

There has also been unprecedented growth in the leisure industry, not least in the licensing trade, which has shown a 23% growth since 1999.

More than 60,000 people can be drinking in public houses and clubs in the city, with some clubs open for dancing until 6 a.m. There are in excess of 400 public houses and nightclubs across the city, the majority of the nightclubs being found in the city centre where the capacity ranges from 100 to 3000.

There is a £350 million plan underway to redevelop the St David’s Centre, already the largest shopping complex in Wales, and the Hayes area into a massive retail development. The St Davids 2 complex due to open in 2010 is modelled on the Bluewater development in Kent.

This will enable Cardiff to compete with other recently regenerated cities as part of the council’s ambition to secure Cardiff in the top five UK shopping centres.

The Cardiff Division or BCU was created in April 2000 from an amalgamation of the former Cardiff Central, Cardiff East and Cardiff West Divisions. It is co-terminous with the unitary authority, the City and County of Cardiff, which was created, following local government reorganisation, in April 1996.