Last week officers from Cumbria’s six Neighbourhood Policing Teams were highlighting the work they do to address issues within our communities and keep people safe.

The week has seen officers conduct warrants, hold police desks and support their local communities following the impact of Storm Isha and Joceyln, with officers joining partner agencies to conduct checks on those identified as vulnerable following the storms.

As a result of the week officers from our Neighbourhood Policing Teams conducted 10 warrants, made 32 arrests and carried out 18 stop searches.

Across the week we also seen some great examples of work from the Neighbourhood Policing Team.

In Carlisle whilst undergoing land searches in relation to anti-social behaviour and drug use, officers were dispatched to a burglary in progress as the nearest officers. After a quick foot pursuit officers arrested a man on suspicion of burglary.

The South Lakes team met with partner agencies for Operation Headway which is a new initiative to help us address the issue of boat and outboard engine thefts in the Lake District area. By working with partners, we can proactively combat this type of crime and bring offenders to justice.

Officers also held a disco with Brathay Youth Matters which was attended by 100 young people, we received excellent feedback and demand for another. The event was a great opportunity for officer to engage with young people in Kendal.

In Eden, officers conducted a warrant in the area of Westmorland Rise, Appleby which resulted in five arrests on suspicion of possession with intent to supply and a quantity of drugs and drugs paraphernalia seized.

They also carried out an Operation Checkpoint with the Rural Crime Team resulting in 15 vehicle stops, on traffic offence report and positive engagements with crime prevention advice.

In Workington, officers conducted four warrants with two successful resulting in – a man arrested and charged with possession of class A and B and a man remains under investigation for possession with intent to supply of a controlled drug.

In Barrow, officers carried out a day of action targeting road offences in Dalton and Askham in Furness resulting in one vehicle stopped for five offences which included two illegal tyres and driving on a footpath. A second vehicle stopped with an expired MOT, driver reported for offence.

In Whitehaven, officers attended a Talk and Tidy event in Millom which was opportunity to come together with partner agencies, to speak with residents and clean-up the community.

They also carried out eight joint patrols with Cumberland Council Civil Enforcement Officers outside schools where traffic related concerns have been raised from Police and Communities Together survey.

Chief Superintendent Mick Bird, Neighbourhood Policing Lead said “We have invested significantly to ensure our local communities get more visibility from our Neighbourhood Policing Teams.

“We hope this week has highlighted the sometimes unseen work they do to tackle local issues, as well as our proactive approach to preventing them.

“This includes issues such as engaging and enforcing parking at school times to ensure the safety of children, patrols in anti-social behaviour hotspots, and proactive action targeting criminality.”

Cumbria’s Deputy Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Mike Johnson, said: “This is only a small snapshot of the fantastic work that our Neighbourhood Policing Teams do year-round to keep us safe in our communities.

“During the week, I was able to go out with Officers in Cockermouth on a day of action to target local concerns around driving and drugs and meet with Barrow Town Centre’s Community Beat Officer to hear more about how he is tackling anti-social behaviour.

“Our Neighbourhood Policing Teams do a brilliant job and I know that they will continue to do so in the future.

“However, keeping our county safe is a community effort and the Police need information and intelligence from the public to help them do their job. I would urge the public to continue to report any criminality or suspicious behaviour to the Police on 101, or 999 in an emergency.

“Together, we can make Cumbria an even safer place to live.”