Annual Crime Figures show crime falls in Cumbria

Cumbria Constabulary has had another successful year as crime and antisocial behaviour continue to fall.

The number of incidents reported to Cumbria Constabulary fell from 26,966 reported crimes to 26,071, a drop of three per cent, representing 895 fewer victims of crime.

Anti-social behaviour continues to be a main focus for police and communities across Cumbria. Due to the Constabulary’s proactive approach to tackling the issue, the last financial year saw reports of antisocial behaviour fall by a massive 20.9 per cent – from 32,938 reported incidents in 10/11 to 26,058 in 11/12. This is a difference of 6,880 fewer calls for service to police.

Violent crime has reduced by 15.7 per cent from 261 incidents to 220 - a total of 41 fewer victims in Cumbria during the last financial year.

The statistics also confirm that reports of criminal damage are down by 8.8 per cent from 6,914 to 6,305 reports; and vehicle crime is also down by 8.8 per cent, from 1,563 to 1,425.

Reports of racially aggravated crime increased by 23; from 143 in 10/11 to 166 in 11/12. The rise follows a concerted effort by police and partner agencies to encourage victims to make the first step by reporting incidents to the authorities through third party reporting centres that were launched in the county last year.

The number of serious sexual offences rose from 294 to 306 crimes in Cumbria however the county still has some of the lowest incidents of serious and sexual crime in the whole of the UK.

Chief Constable Stuart Hyde said “I am pleased that crime remains low in Cumbria and that the hard work of officers and communities around the county is paying off with almost 900 fewer people falling victim to crime last year.

“I am re-assured to see that anti-social behaviour, which is the top priority of our local communities, has reduced so dramatically. Local residents tell us that this is the issue that most affects their quality of life in Cumbria and as a result, combatting this has been a main focus for us.

“An additional 23 race hate crimes have been reported to police which is concerning on one hand, but a welcome increase on the other. We know that incidents of this nature traditionally go unreported which is why we worked with partners to launch third party reporting centres last year. These areas aim to provide neutral environments where people can feel comfortable talking about their experiences to police and different agencies that can offer the right levels of support.

“The figures show that officers and staff have worked extremely hard over the last year during a difficult time when the Constabulary is changing in the face of a £20million budget cut. Our challenge now is to continue reducing crime by working alongside communities to make Cumbria even safer.”

Ray Cole, the Chairman of Cumbria Police Authority, the policing ‘watchdog’ for Cumbria, said “The Police Authority welcomes these reductions in crime and congratulates the Constabulary on yet another year of driving crime down in Cumbria.

“The significant reductions in anti-social behaviour incidents and violent crime are particularly pleasing because they are of great concern to local communities, so they are of great concern to us.

“We have worked closely with the Constabulary in its efforts to encourage victims of racial and sexual crime to come forward. We will continue to scrutinise this closely over the coming year to ensure victims receive the right support so they have the confidence to come forward and prevent these crimes in future.”