Neighbourhood policing across Cumbria has been strengthened following a significant investment in Community Beat Officers (CBO’s), providing communities with a greater local policing presence.
Through Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee funding, Cumbria Constabulary has returned 16 officers to frontline neighbourhood policing roles and created a further 10 police officer posts, increasing the number of Community Beat Officers across the force from 58 to 84.
The increase supports Cumbria Constabulary and Cumbria's Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, David Allen’s Neighbourhood Policing Pledge, which commits to strengthening local policing, increasing visibility and accessibility, and ensuring officers remain focused on community priorities.
The uplift of 26 officers represents a 44.8% increase in Community Beat Officers, and the additional officers will be deployed across communities in Eden, Kendal, Barrow, Carlisle and Wigton, Allerdale and Copeland, supporting both urban and rural areas.
This includes increased officer presence in locations such as Appleby, Alston, Pooley Bridge, Windermere, Coniston, Cartmel, Keswick, Maryport, Workington, Egremont, Cleator Moor and Barrow town centre.
The investment builds on positive public confidence results, with Cumbria ranking third nationally for overall confidence in policing*.
It also comes as ‘Operation Enhance’ continues to deliver results across hotspot locations, including a 42.1% reduction in anti-social behaviour incidents, a 12.5% reduction in retail crime and a 6% reduction in serious violence. These figures are based on data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales for the year ending March 2026 (April 2025 to March 2026).
Chief Constable Darren Martland said:
"Neighbourhood policing is at the heart of how we police communities across Cumbria. Our neighbourhood officers are the eyes and ears of the communities they serve, building relationships, listening to local concerns and understanding the issues affecting residents.
"They are often the first point of contact for local people and play a crucial role in building trust, solving problems and ensuring communities have a strong voice in shaping local policing priorities.
"This investment strengthens our ability to provide visible, accessible policing and reinforces our commitment to working closely with the communities we serve."
Chief Superintendent Andy Wilkinson said:
"Strong neighbourhood policing remains central to how we serve and protect our communities. These additional officers will provide greater capacity to tackle anti-social behaviour, prevent crime, and respond to community concerns. They will work alongside local residents, businesses and partners to identify emerging issues, solve problems, and help keep people safe.
"This investment demonstrates our commitment to delivering on the Neighbourhood Policing Pledge and ensuring communities across Cumbria continue to benefit from dedicated local policing. We know trust and confidence are built through regular engagement, and these additional officers will help us continue strengthening those relationships across the county."
Cumbria's Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, David Allen, said:
“Community Policing is one of the key concerns raised to me by residents – our public want to see more officers on their streets.
“This investment into neighbourhood policing is gets more dedicated, named officers into local communities helping to prevent and tackle anti-social behaviour, theft, shoplifting and other local concerns.
“Frontline policing is so important – the public feel safer when they see visible policing in their area and it also deters opportunistic criminals, which helps drive down crime.
“I will continue to work with the Chief Constable to support neighbourhood policing - we want to continue to build a strong and resilient Constabulary, so we need to make sure we do this right, not just quick. Strong community policing means safer and more welcoming communities – we must work together to ensure our residents and visitors continue to be safe in Cumbria.”
For more information, please email: press.office@cumbria.police.uk