Incidents of anti-social behaviour have reduced in three Cumbrian towns after Government funding was awarded to help make the streets safer.
Penrith, Carlisle, and Workington have all seen a reduction in anti-social behaviour over the last year following prevention and intervention funding from the .
Cumbria received £820,000 from the Home Office’s Safer Streets Fund following a bid from the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner in 2023 with match funding from the commissioner, Cumbria police, Cumberland Council and Workington Town Council.
Work began in November 2023 to tackle anti-social behaviour on The Line in Workington, Hammond’s Pond in Carlisle and Penrith town centre.
Compared to the same period in 2022/2023, crime commissioner David Allen said anti-social behaviour reduced by 38.5% in Carlisle’s Hammond’s Pond (13 to eight reports), 15.6% in Penrith (147 to 124 reports) and 18% in Workington (61 to 50 reports).
The work in Hammond’s Pond in Carlisle aimed to reduce off-road vehicle anti-social behaviour, youth related anti-social behaviour and violence against women and girls offences.
The funding was used to improve lighting in the park to act as a deterrent and improve feelings of safety with 17 upgraded lights being added. Four CCTV cameras were upgraded in the Hammond’s Pond area and integrated into Cumbria Constabulary’s CCTV system.
Anti-social behaviour and Violence against Women and Girls were the key priorities for The Line in Workington. In early 2024, The Line received physical enhancements to the area including the removal of greenery providing users with better sights and reduce hiding places for those looking to commit or have committed an offence, replaced broken paving to improve accessibility.
Local schools also designed murals to replace the graffiti and signs were installed with direct links to reporting options to the council and police.
The main focus in Penrith is the reduction of anti-social behaviour and anti-social driving in the town centre.
Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service expanded its Road Awareness Pack to include the development of educational resources using virtual reality technology.
Young drivers in anti-social driving hotspot locations around the centre were able to experience danger driving scenarios as a virtual passenger. Over the last year, 32 events and sessions have been delivered to 1,848 people from a variety of groups including Young Farmers, sixth form classes, people in the night-time economy, junior citizens and Cumbria Ride Safe.
Carlisle and Workington benefited from police officers receiving drone training to assist with the gathering of evidence around offending. Since the project began in November 2023, eight officers have received this training.
All three areas targeted areas also benefitted from a new team of youth outreach workers, who were employed to respond to youth anti-social behaviour providing mediation, restorative justice, safeguarding and intervention to reduce offences and to create a more respectful environment to increase feelings of safety for residents.
Youth outreach workers have supported 1,572 people – helping victims to cope and recover, and positively change offender’s attitudes and behaviour, thereby reducing harm and criminal activity across all three areas.
In the three locations, 59 victims received target hardening, home safety work including improved outdoor lighting and more secure locks on their property to reduce risk of revictimisation. One-to-one support was provided to 14 victims who received tailored plans to help them cope and recover from the trauma caused by anti-social behaviour. Three 360-degree CCTV cameras have also been installed and integrated into Cumbria Constabulary’s CCTV system.
Mr Allen said: “Anti-social behaviour is one of the main concerns that is raised with me as commissioner time and again and tackling it was one of my key pledges during my election.
“Anti-social behaviour blights towns and the areas where it takes place. It stops investment into areas, drives shoppers away from town centres and causes untold misery for those suffering it. Tackling, reducing and preventing anti-social behaviour and anti-social driving is a community effort.”
