Over 300 arrests after operations during festive period in Cumbria
They included targeting drink and drug driving, violence and retail crime
Over 300 arrests have been made in Cumbria during operations targeting criminal activity over the festive period.
As part of efforts to keep people across the county safe throughout Christmas and New Year, police officers and staff have worked round-the-clock to target criminals and prevent crime.
A total of 337 arrests were made during December with 489 stop searches also carried out during the month.
Operational activity included targeting drink and drug driving, VAWG (violence against women and girls), personal safety, retail crime and targeting wanted people.
• Drink and Drug Driving – Officers stopped more than 2,938 motorists as part of a proactive approach to prevent loss of life on Cumbria’s roads. In total, 45 people were arrested for drink driving and 120 for drug driving, 16 for driving whilst unfit and 25 people failed to provide.
• Safety in nightlife areas - Visibility within town and city centre areas was increased throughout the month as officers were out on foot to keep people safe, specifically in nightlife areas where people were celebrating the festive period.
Officers worked with partner agencies to ensure the safety of people and were central to welfare areas where people could speak to officers and report any concerns.
"Prevention is just as important as targeted activity"
As part of preventative work, officers conducted 592 licensing visits to premises across the county. These visits were conducted to support licensees in collective efforts to keep their customers safe.
• Retail crime - Officers and PSCOs carried out engagement patrols in shopping areas across the county to help prevent offences such as shoplifting and spoke with business owners to provide advice and support.
Where offences did occur, officers were quick to respond and begin investigations. During December 14 people arrested and 48 intel submission submitted
Assistant Chief Constable Dave Stalker said:
“Our officers and staff have worked incredibly hard throughout the festive season which is often one of our busiest periods of the year.
“These results highlight just a small part of the work we do, with a lot of unseen work ongoing to ensure our communities were kept safe and those involved in criminality are held to account
“Over the period we increased the number of officers on patrol and carried out specific operations to ensure that we had sufficient resource to tackle criminality throughout the festive period.
“Prevention is also just as important as targeted activity and arrests; we have had officers engaging with communities and local businesses alongside having a visible police presence to deter criminals and reassure law-abiding people
“As part of this we have also conducted a number of public awareness campaigns to educate people on how they can prevent crime and keep people safe.
“Our work does not stop here, and results such as this are not possible without the public playing their part. Your information is crucial to us investigating and preventing crime. By contacting us with information you are making an important contribution which may lead to a criminal being locked up, a victim securing justice or our policing service being able to prevent offence before they have happened.”
Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, David Allen, said:
“As I said pre-Christmas - I am genuinely humbled by all of the emergency service workers, staff and volunteers in Cumbria who work tirelessly every day, but especially over the Christmas period. They put their family lives on hold, putting us, the citizens they protect, first.
“The Constabulary’s targeted operational activity during the festive period has had some very positive outcomes. The results speak for themselves. We have an incredibly proactive Constabulary in Cumbria who are willing to get stuck in and deal with disorder, anti-social behaviour, drink/drug driving and retail crime. This is what the public want them to do and I am pleased to see that is happening.
“Over the ‘Festive Friday’ weekend, I visited the Welfare Hub in Carlisle, to see first-hand how the Police, volunteers and partner agencies are supporting vulnerable people in need during the evenings in the city centre. This, alongside the additional foot patrols over the last few weeks, enabled many people to feel safe and have confidence that their welfare was a top priority whilst out celebrating over Christmas.
“This year, as in every other year, the proactive policing approach to drink and drug driving, helps to keep our roads safe. There is absolutely no excuse to drink or be under the influence of drugs and then drive.
“Not just at Christmas, but throughout the year, the Police will continue to target anyone who puts the lives of other road users at risk.
“December is often one of the busiest times of year for the Constabulary and these positive outcomes are proof that Cumbria’s police force is one hundred per-cent committed to providing the best possible service to our communities. This level of service will continue throughout the year, keeping our families and friends safe.”