Officers from Cumbria Constabulary will be increasing proactive patrols and working hard over the festive period to ensure criminals are caught and communities are kept safe.

As the festive season fast approaches, Cumbria Police will be carrying out a series of operations and campaigns, which cover a range of topics including:

• Personal safety – keeping safe on nights out and at events
• Domestic abuse
• Violence against women and girls (VAWG)
• Drink and drug driving
• Burglary prevention
• Retail crime
• Fraud prevention and online safety
• Pursuing and targeting priority offenders

The campaigns, which will run throughout December and into the new year, will promote useful safety information, details on how to report crimes, information on support services and provide advice on how to celebrate safely this Christmas.

Over the next six weeks officers will be using targeted activity to pursue offenders and disrupt their activity.

Assistant Chief Constable Dave Stalker said: “The purpose of these operations is to deter criminals, catch those responsible for crime, minimise disruption across the county and make sure people feel safe and reassured when out and about over the festive period.

“Throughout the Christmas period and into the New Year, our officers will be targeting criminals and educating people on what they can do to keep themselves safe.

“Our new Roads Policing Unit will also be out protecting our road networks from drink and drug drivers as part of this activity. The impact that drink or drug driving can have on people and wider communities can be devastating. This is why our work to prevent collisions and target those who drive whilst under the influence of alcohol or drugs is so critical.”

A Safer Streets Welfare Hub is in place in Carlisle to support people on a night out, specifically vulnerable people, women and girls – and plans are in place to roll this out in the west and south of the county and to use them at major events.

ACC Stalker continued: “We will be increasing our high-visibility uniformed street patrols in our main nightlife areas across the county. We will also be actively engaging with licenced premises.

“We want everyone to have a good time and enjoy themselves, and the extra measures we are putting in place for the night-time economy will help keep people safe whilst also targeting anyone who is behaving inappropriately.

“Violence against women and girls is taken very seriously and remains a top priority for Cumbria Police. We will be working once again with partner agencies in providing welfare support to those who need it and be on hand on to respond to immediate concerns.

Neighbourhood Policing Teams will be carrying out high visibility foot patrols in and around shopping centres and supermarkets in efforts to target criminals committing shoplifting offences.

ACC Stalker added: “Thieves look for easy targets and the darker, longer nights provide criminals with more opportunity to commit crimes.

“Our teams will be pursuing these offenders throughout the Christmas period and beyond as part of our ongoing commitment to bring burglars to justice.

“We have contempt for the act of criminality, which has no place in our communities.

Criminality also occurs online. Offenders may try to cash in on people shopping online at a time when people are particularly busy and may not pay as much attention as normal in terms of their online safety.

ACC Stalker continued: “Sadly, there are fraudsters who prey on people online and will look to take advantage of a period where online shopping is more prevalent.

“It is very important people know that being defrauded is not their fault; they should not feel ashamed – they are victims of crime just like every other victim of crime.”

You can follow the Constabulary’s campaign on our social media accounts: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Peter McCall, said: “The festive period is a time to celebrate, be with friends and family and many of us will be out and about more, all want to make sure that we can do this safely.

“Throughout December the police will be targeting criminals as well as providing safety messages, advice and information on different crime types and how victims can access support.  We would of course rather prevent crimes and would remind everyone to be cautious about safety and security both in person and online.

“Contempt for Criminality is a key message for the Constabulary and I would send the message to those tempted to commit crime on the county that criminality of any kind is not tolerated in Cumbria.  Anyone committing crime in the county, can expect the police to take their crimes very seriously to bring them to justice and to face the consequences of their actions.

“I also want to urge the public to report any crime or suspicious activity to the Police on 101 or 999 in an emergency. Residents know their communities better than anyone and can provide the Police with information that can help build evidence and reduce local crime.

“Keeping Cumbria safe is a community effort so let’s work together this December to make the county a safer place to live, work and visit.”

HOW DO I REPORT TO POLICE?

If you wish to report to police you can do so online at www.cumbria.police.uk/report-it.

You can also phone on 101.

Always phone 999 in an emergency or if a crime is in progress.

Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.