This week our Neighbourhood Policing Teams across Cumbria are highlighting the work they do all year round.
The week of action is aimed at raising awareness of Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) and the issues it can bring to communities. Officers work alongside various partner agencies to target local issues and engaged with residents.
In January, we launched the Neighbourhood Policing Pledge, which aligns us to the national pillars of Neighbourhood Policing and ensures we deliver the government Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee. The pledge focuses on ten core priority areas of neighbourhood policing, one of those is tackling crime and anti-social behaviour.
As a priority, we launched Operation Enhance in July 2024, which has seen extra patrols in 18 areas identified as hotspots for ASB and serious violence. The operation whilst also being a visible presence has seen officers numerous arrests, stop searches, fixed penalty notices, community engagement and support given to local businesses.
As a result of Operation Enhance and the hard work carried out by the neighbourhood policing teams, the hot spot areas have seen a reduction in ASB by 35.2% between 1 July 2024 and 31 March 2025 compared to the same period in the previous year.
In relation to incidents of ASB involving young people in the hotspot areas over the same period there has been a reduction of 39.4% compared to the previous period.
Operation Enhance will continue throughout 2025/26.
Chief Superintendent Andy Wilkinson, the force’s Neighbourhood Policing lead, said: “Anti-social behaviour (ASB) is a priority, and this week highlights the work our teams and partners do every day to tackle anti-social behaviour.
“As well as responding to incident of ASB, a great deal of work is carried out behind the scenes to prevent further incidents occurring.
“ASB has a detrimental impact on our communities and encourage the public to tell us about incidents that are happening in your local area.
“Reporting allows us to create a picture of activity and allows to take appropriate action to investigate and deter further incidents.”
Councillor Judith Derbyshire, Cabinet Member for Housing and Community Safety at Westmorland and Furness Council, said: “Anti-social behaviour causes real distress and disruption to residents’ lives and has a damaging impact on our communities.
“The multi-agency work of the Community Safety Partnership and Local Focus Hubs is proactively delivering initiatives that address complex cases of ASB in our communities using education, support and, where necessary, enforcement. Alongside Cumbria Police and partners, our efforts bring us closer to achieving our vision of making Westmorland and Furness a safe and welcoming place to live, work and thrive.”
Justin McDermott, Cumberland Council’s Executive Member for Public Health and Communities, said: “Cumberland Council staff and councillors will be out and about all week talking to residents about their ASB concerns. With colleagues from the Community Safety Partnership, we hope to get a real insight into the effects of antisocial behaviour, which can have an incredibly negative impact on people’s wellbeing.
“We’ll also be sharing the help we offer through our Local Focus Hubs and, more strategically, through the Community Safety Partnership – which has ASB as one of its four main priorities.”
Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, David Allen, said: “Neighbourhood Policing plays a vital role to overall Policing. We need local, trusted Officers, PCSOs and Special Constables in our local communities gaining local knowledge and building trust and confidence with local residents.
“Anti-social behaviour is a concern that is continuously raised with me by the public, and is, quite rightly, one of my key priorities as a result.
“Over the last year, because of the additional patrols and the effort put in by officers, we have seen a large reduction in ASB across the whole county by 21.4% - I’m really pleased with this result and I will continue to work with the Constabulary to drive this down even further.
“Our Neighbourhood Policing Teams do a fantastic job, but we need your help to continue to do so. If you spot anything suspicious, please report it to 101 or 999 in an emergency – together we can protect Cumbria.
“If you have reported ASB and feel that your concerns weren’t taken seriously, please raise it with me on 01768 217734 or at commissioner@cumbria-pcc.gov.uk. As Commissioner, I am your voice in Policing so please reach out.”
Who’s my local officer?
Visit Your area | Cumbria Police to find your local officer and what we’re doing to tackle crime in your area.
How to report anti-social behaviour?
You can report incidents of anti-social behaviour online at www.cumbria.police.uk/report-it.
You can also call police on 101.
If it is an emergency, always dial 999.
Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
You can also report anti-social behaviour to your local council (Welcome to Cumberland | Cumberland Council & Welcome to Westmorland and Furness | Westmorland and Furness Council )or housing provider.
Support
Get anti-social behaviour support here - Cumbria PFCC - anti-social-behaviour - Support
You can also contact independent charity, Victim Support. You can visit the website at www.victimsupport.org.uk/cumbria or call 0300 303 0157.