A month into Cumbria police’s crackdown on anti-social behaviour and serious violence, dedicated hotspot patrols have resulted in a dozen arrests and more than 260 hours of patrolling, the constabulary said.
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 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.
The increased patrols in the target areas began on July 1 and patrols will continue to operate through until at least the end of March 2025.
The first month of Operation Enhance saw more than 260 hours of patrols across the 18 hotspot areas.
During this time officers conducted 49 stop and searches, submitted 166 intelligence submissions used anti-social behaviour powers on four occasions and made 12 arrests.
The areas are:
Furness
- Barrow – Hindpool
- Barrow – Salthouse
- Barrow – town centre
- Barrow – Barrow Island
Allerdale & Copeland
- Workington town centre
- Maryport town centre
- Maryport South
- Whitehaven town centre
- Cleator Moor
Carlisle & Wigton
- Botchergate
- Carlisle city centre
- Grey Street/Fusehill Street
- Dowbeck
- Raffles Avenue/Shadygrove Road, Carlisle
Kendal & Eden
- Penrith town and New Squares
- Kendal town centre
- Ulverston town centre
- Bowness-on-Windermere
Across Cumbria, the Constabulary saw a 4.2 per cent decrease in anti-social behaviour in July of 2024 compared to July 2023.
Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner David Allen, said: “One of my manifesto commitments was to tackle anti-social behaviour and to get more visible policing on our streets.
“This £1m of extra funding that my office secured has already provided Cumbria Constabulary with the ability to tackle and prevent anti-social behaviour and serious violence more effectively by getting more officers out on the streets and we are seeing the effects of the extra patrols with these results.
“The 18 hotspots accounts for only 0.04% of Cumbria but makes up for 24.3% of all serious violence and 23.1% of all anti-social behaviour reported in the county so it’s essential that we place these much-needed resources in these hotspots and tackle and prevent crime head on.
“I’m pleased to see the positive effects taking place already in the last month. I intend to see this positive action continue and will hold the constabulary to account to ensure anti-social behaviour and Serious Violence reduces in the county.
Chief Superintendent Mick Bird said: “This is a positive start for Operation Enhance but it is only the beginning.
“We are determined to utilise these patrols to improve the lives of those people living in the hotspot areas.
“Operation Enhance puts these officers where they are needed most – as both a visible deterrent of crime and also to be in the best position to respond swiftly to incidents.
“Anti-social behaviour can take a terrible toll on its victims and can blight communities, whilst individuals who set out to commit serious violence can expect to be dealt with swiftly and robustly.”
