Almost 500 extra hours of street patrols have so far been undertaken by officers as part of Operation Enhance - Cumbria’s crackdown on anti-social behaviour and serious violence.
Operation Enhance sees extra police patrols in areas identified as hotspots for anti-social behaviour and/or serious violence across the county.
The operation has been made possible thanks to £1 million of extra funding secured by Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner from the Government’s Hotspot Response Fund to target anti-social behaviour (ASB) and serious violence in hotspot areas across the county.
The operation sees extra patrols in 18 areas identified by statistical analysis as the county's hotspot areas of anti-social behaviour and serious violence. These areas include areas of Carlisle, Barrow, Workington, Whitehaven, Kendal, Penrith, Maryport, Cleator Moor, Ulverston and Bowness-on-Windermere.
Two months into the operation, 490 hours of additional patrols have been undertaken – including more than 226 hours in August.
Over the first two months of the operation 85 stop and searches have been conducted, 257 intelligence submissions have been submitted and ASB powers have been used on 13 occasions.
In addition, the Operation Enhance officers have made a total of 22 arrests – with 10 of those arrests made during August.
Those arrests included an arrest in the early hours of 5 August in Whitehaven town centre for common assault and a number of arrests of wanted people ranging from a man involved in the supply of Class A drugs to a man wanted on suspicion of theft from a shop.
In addition, Op Enhance officers located a missing person and safely returned a man home after finding him inebriated in the middle of the road
The operation has so far coincided with a 36.6 per cent reduction in antisocial behaviour across the hotspot areas, compared to the previous year, as well as a 14.3 per cent reduction in serious violence in the 18 areas targeted.
Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, David Allen, said: “One of my key commitments to residents of Cumbria prior to my election in May 2024 was to tackle anti-social behaviour and to get more visible policing on our streets. I committed to this and this is what I am now seeing being delivered by your police in your areas.
“This £1m of extra funding has already provided Cumbria Constabulary with the ability to tackle and prevent ASB and serious violence more effectively by getting more officers out on the streets in the areas where we know ASB has been a real problem and we are seeing the effects of the extra patrols with these results.
“We are now two months into this Operation and we are seeing the effects on ASB and Serious Violence in our county. I’m pleased to see Cumbria Constabularies continuous dedication to placing extra patrols in these hotspots – that make up for 23.1 per cent of all ASB recorded in Cumbria – to ensure that the streets are safer and more welcoming to residents and visitors.
“I will continue to ensure that this positive work carries on work with the Constabulary to ensure that you see visible policing in the areas you say you want it and where our intelligence shows its needed. I am confident that by taking this evidence led approach Cumbria will feel safer and we will see a reduction in these crime types.
"I made a promise prior to being elected and by providing more visible policing in the areas that need it, I am delivering on that promise with your local police.
“As your Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner, my role is to be the voice of residents within Cumbria, in respect of the Police – I am your voice. If you live in one of these Hotspots – or anywhere in the county – and have a concern about local crime, or around the Constabulary, please raise it with me at commissioner@cumbria-pcc.gov.uk or call 01768 217734.”
The increased patrols in the target areas began on 1st July and these patrols will continue to operate through until at least the end of March 2025.
T/Chief Superintendent Andy Wilkinson said: “August was an extremely busy month for the Constabulary with all officers working longer shifts and having rest days cancelled in order to keep people in Cumbria safe during a period of national disorder.
“Despite this, I am pleased to see that we have once again recorded well over 200 hours of extra, dedicated patrols over the past month, focused on antisocial behaviour and serious violence.
“The feedback we have received from the public to the high-visibility patrols in these hotspot areas has been extremely positive and encouraging.
“We will continue to urge the public to report any issues to us immediately so that actions can be taken. Antisocial behaviour can be a serious blight on a community and we are determined to use the opportunity this operation and the funding secured by the Police Fire and Crime Commissioner’s Office to stamp it out.”
As part of the operation, the public is encouraged to report antisocial behaviour by visiting the constabulary’s website Report antisocial behaviour | Cumbria Police or our non-emergency number 101.
In an emergency always call 999. Information and intelligence from the public is vital so we can work together to tackle issues in their communities.
Find out more about Operation Enhance: Op Enhance | Cumbria Police