Neighbourhood Policing Teams in Cumbria are being restructured as part of ongoing work by Cumbria Constabulary to prepare for budget cuts and increase the amount of time officers spend in the community.
Assistant Chief Constable Jerry Graham, who has responsibility for Neighbourhood Policing in Cumbria, said: “The Chancellor announced in his comprehensive spending review that Cumbria Constabulary will need to save between £15 million and £20 million by 2014/15.
“To meet this challenge the Constabulary has been conducting a number of reviews to identify how local police can maintain their service on a smaller budget. The review has identified that realigning our Neighbourhood Policing Teams and ensuring our officers are available at times of peak demand is the best way of delivering visible policing throughout Cumbria.
“Strengthening the size of the teams will streamline management structures and increase the flexibility of teams, enabling them to target the issues that communities identify as their policing priorities.
“The newly expanded teams will continue responding to 999 and non-emergency calls as before, but will have the flexibility to target community priorities with a greater focus.
“The review is also looking at how we can share office space with partner agencies to improve joint working and save money. At the same time we are embracing new technology and piloting the use of mobile devices that will enable police officers to complete admin tasks on the move. These changes will impact the way we use police stations in the future, so a separate review is underway to identify whether we need to maintain all of our estate. “
The new Neighbourhood Policing Teams covering South Cumbria will be;
• Barrow Borough - covering Barrow, Dalton and surrounding areas.
• Ulverston & Lakes - covering Ulverston, the Lake District, the Grange Peninsula and surrounding areas.
• Kendal - covering Kendal, Milnthorpe, Kirkby Lonsdale and surrounding areas.
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