An increase in officers dedicated to neighbourhood policing, combined with the launch of ‘Local Focus Hubs’ is putting community issues to the top of the agenda.
With around 100 PCSOs dedicated to neighbourhood policing around the county, Cumbria Constabulary is increasing the resources it dedicates to key issues including antisocial behaviour, road safety, and a visible policing deterrent on the streets.
The increase includes an additional 25 police officers dedicated to community policing who will work under the six dedicated neighbourhood policing inspectors introduced a year ago.
The additional 25 officers fulfil a pledge made by the Police and Crime Commissioner Peter McCall in April of this year, while four of the six inspectors were also funded by the Commissioner. This was in response to feedback Mr McCall received from the public of Cumbria – who wanted to see more officers visible and present in their communities.
The 25 new officers will be working in communities, alongside Police Community Support Officers – whose numbers are to be maintained at 95, as pledged by Mr McCall.
Alongside this, Local Focus Hubs are beginning their work, often based out of police stations.
Neighbourhood policing will be delivered by these Hubs, with six around the county – two in North Cumbria, two in West Cumbria and two in South Cumbria.
The Hubs allow different agencies – police, council, housing, fire and more – to come together and work side by side to find solutions when specific issues are raised.
The Local Focus Hubs are to be supported by the launch of six Local Focus Facebook groups which will offer the public the opportunity to liaise directly with a number of agencies, including the police, in one place. The first to launch was the Carlisle Focus group. This week will see the launch of Copeland, Allerdale, Eden, Barrow and South Lakes groups.
Superintendent Rob O’Connor said: “Having extra resources available to support neighbourhood policing is good news for everyone in the county. These officers will be out on the street and will have a tangible, practical impact on tackling local problems.
“Working alongside the new hubs will mean our effectiveness to tackle some of the most impactful problems, such as antisocial behaviour, will greatly increase.
“The introduction of Hubs will mean our officers can work closer than ever before with partners and the local community. Tackling an issue such as antisocial behaviour can involve many agencies, not just ourselves. Where, in the past, these different agencies may have confronted the problem alone, now we can bring representatives from each agency together, under one roof, to get to the root of the problem.”
Hubs are now in place in Copeland (based at Whitehaven Police Station), Allerdale (based at Cockermouth Police Station), South Lakeland (based at Kendal Police Station), Barrow (based at Barrow Police Station) and Carlisle (based at the Civic Centre).
In Eden, the Hub is currently based at the police station in Hunter Lane, Penrith.
Inspector Gaynor Taylor of Eden Local Focus Hub said: “This is an exciting new approach to how we tackle community issues that arise across the Eden area.
“By working together I feel we can make a real difference to local people. The skills of different agencies will mean joint solutions can be identified to address complex issues.
“A recent example was a dispute between neighbours in Penrith which resulted in anti-social behaviour. The issue was discussed with Eden Housing and an appropriate solution for both parties was found. Since then there have been no reported issues.
“I urge anyone who does have an issue that they would like the Hub to look into, to contact us.”
Inspector Di Bradbury oversees Carlisle Local Focus Hub.
Inspector Bradbury said: “The new hub model will allow us to build on the effective partnership work that we have conducted in Carlisle and the surrounding areas in recent times.
“By combining the different expertise from a number of agencies and the public, we hope to make a significant impact in tackling the issues that matter most to local people.
“It is important to highlight that, whilst the name of our hub is the Carlisle Local Focus Hub, we cover the surrounding areas such as Brampton, Dalston and Longtown.
“The Local Focus Hubs are already making a difference. For example in Longtown we have launched a Community Alcohol Partnership to tackle underage drinking and antisocial behaviour following concerns from local residents.”
Cumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner Peter McCall praised the work of the Hubs.
Cumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner Peter McCall said: “I am delighted to see the Local Focus Hubs being implemented across the county. Getting together with our partners and other agencies in the local communities to help tackle and resolve issues in those communities, is such an effective way to work and everyone benefits from that. The Hubs are already starting achieve results, as these examples show.
“When I asked the public for an increase in council tax precept I said it would go on additional officers to increase visibility which is what people tell me they want, I do not make promises lightly but I did on this and together with the constabulary we have delivered, there will be more police officers and PCSOs dedicated to neighbourhood policing, and I feel confident that people will now start to see a more visible police presence in their communities. I do not pretend that this will fix all of our issues, there will always be pressure on our budget and manpower, I wish we had even more resource but, working together with the public and all the other agencies in the county, we can keep Cumbria safe.”