A national survey has found that Cumbria Constabulary is the top force in England and Wales for people’s overall confidence.
The latest Crime Survey for England and Wales, covering the year up to September last year, asked people for their views on policing and crime.
Forty-one forces in England and Wales were rated in the survey, which was completed by 31,145 people aged 16-plus.
It asked for people’s overall confidence in local police. The percentage of people who agreed in England and Wales was 67.5% while Cumbria saw 78.2% agree.
It asked a number of questions if people agreed if the police:
- Can be relied on when needed: Cumbria 62% (England & Wales estimate 52.9%)
- Treat people with respect: Cumbria 89.4% (England & Wales estimate 82.8%)
- Treat people fairly: Cumbria 66.2% (England & Wales estimate 59.5%)
- Understand local concerns: Cumbria 72.2% (England & Wales estimate 59.9%)
- Deal with local concerns: Cumbria 60% (England & Wales estimate 47.4%)
- Can be trusted: Cumbria 78.4% ((England & Wales estimate 71.8%)
Cumbria was the top force in England and Wales when people were asked if officers were doing a good or excellent job. It scored 61.4% agreement, compared to the national estimate of 49.5%. The Cleveland force was the lowest with 38.3%. The number of people surveyed for this question was 29,815 aged 16-plus.
Chief Constable Darren Martland said: “I am extremely proud of all the positive results the force continues to achieve.
“We are here to serve this county and our communities – and these results are based on direct feedback from the people who live in our communities.
“I’d like to thank again our officers and staff for all the hard work they do engaging with our communities, protecting people and deterring and solving crime.”
Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner David Allen said: “We police by consent in the county and want our residents to have full confidence in what the police are doing to proactively and reactively tackle crime.
“Cumbria is a safe place to live, work and visit and the most recent crime survey emphasises this point.
“However, this does not mean that we are resting on our laurels – Cumbria Constabulary is continuously developing as an organisation with the aim to be the best force in the country.
“As commissioner, I will continue to hold the chief constable to account in order to achieve this and be the voice of the public within policing.”
