Crime levels fall and confidence remains high as Cumbria Constabulary continues to perform well

The Home Office today issued its quarterly crime statistics revealing that there were 3,431 fewer reported crimes in Cumbria between September 2008 and September 2009compared to the same period the previous year, representing a reduction in overall crime of 10 per cent and thousands fewer victims across the county.

Overall crime fell from 33,160 reported incidents in Cumbria between September 2007 and September 2008, to 29,729 between September 2008 and September 2009.

The statistics also confirm that Cumbria Constabulary ranks as the second force nationally for inspiring confidence in the public, with 56 per cent of local people agreeing that police are dealing with the anti-social behaviour and crime issues that matter in their area and 62 per cent agreeing that police deal with local concerns.

The report released today is produced by the Home Office and discusses the latest crime trends in England and Wales. The report is based on two sources of statistics, the British Crime Survey (BCS) and police recorded crime data.

By drilling deeper, the statistics reveal that criminal damage has fallen by 17 per cent, vehicle crime by 12 per cent, violence against the person by 9 per cent, drug offences by 6 per cent and fraud by 2 per cent.

Welcoming the new figures, Chief Constable Craig Mackey said: “Overall crime has fallen by 10 per cent in Cumbria demonstrating the sterling work the officers and staff of Cumbria Constabulary are doing with the support of local communities and partner agencies to tackle crime at a local level and focus on the issues that matter most in each neighbourhood.

“It is encouraging to see the high levels of confidence the local community has in the Constabulary. This is something we want to continue improving by tackling policing priorities in each area and making sure that local residents are kept up to date with what we are doing in their neighbourhoods.

“We are focussed on engaging with local communities to find out exactly what issues they want us to tackle, and to make sure we improve the quality of life in Cumbria by resolving the issues that matter most in each town and village. To that end we have introduced Safer Stronger Community meetings, where local people can vote for their policing priorities, and we are providing monthly updates on our website and in newsletters to make sure local communities are kept informed about policing in their area.”

Although overall crime is down, Cumbria has experienced a 5 per cent rise in burglary, a 10 per cent rise in robbery and a 16 per cent rise in reports of sexual offences.

Mr Mackey said: “It is always disappointing to learn that specific types of crime are on the rise, but by constantly taking stock of crime trends across Cumbria we can ensure that we shift our focus to tackle these issues as a priority

“Burglary will remain a priority and our officers and detectives are already working hard to investigate incidents and catch offenders. At the same time, we are providing crime prevention advice to residents and working with local communities to set up Neighbourhood Watch and Farm Watch schemes to create a network of people that will report suspicious activity and share crime prevention advice.

“Robberies are extremely distressing for the victims involved and are always at the top of our priority list. This will continue, and we will not rest until we have brought offenders to justice.

“The increase in sexual offences is on the one hand worrying, but on the other a welcome rise, as one of the major hurdles faced by victims is working up the courage to report incidents to police. We have worked hard over recent years to ensure we have the people and facilities available to support victims and investigate sexual offences.

“Reviewing statistics like these help us paint a true picture of crime in the county so that we can tackle issues head on. By working together we can continue to reduce crime across Cumbria.”