‘Did you know…?’ campaign launched to give communities an insight into policing in Cumbria

Cumbria Constabulary is launching a new campaign to provide the people of Cumbria with an insight into the work that goes on behind the scenes to support policing in the county.

'Did you know ...?' is a new campaign being launched this week to shine a light on the different departments that work around the clock to help support front line policing and keep people safe.

Chief Constable Stuart Hyde said “The Constabulary invests £100million a year of public money to ensure that Cumbria remains a safe place to live, work and visit.

“Protecting the people of Cumbria is our priority and a lot of work goes on behind the scenes to remove criminals from our streets and provide our communities with a high quality, value-for-money policing service.

“We have had another successful year with crime and anti-social behaviour falling across Cumbria. There were almost 900 fewer victims of crime in the county last year and it is important that local people get to know what goes on behind the scenes and the skilled people who work to support frontline policing and are the driving force behind these achievements.”

The campaign also seeks to provide information about the Constabulary’s budget that is easy to understand. Wherever possible, the Did you know…? campaign will highlight where and how public money is spent within the Constabulary and what services and benefits communities get from the investment.

Chief Constable Hyde continued “During these challenging financial times, local people hear us talk about Cumbria Constabulary’s budget cuts and the work that is ongoing for the organisation to save £20million by 2015.

“It is hard to imagine how such large sums of money are spent, so, to show people what they get for their money, we are using this campaign to demonstrate how we use our budget and what we invest in for the safety of others.

“Did you know…? begins this week by raising awareness of the work that goes on in the Constabulary’s Criminal Investigation Department, highlighting key facts and figures of the department’s achievements and key responsibilities.

“Did you know the CID department is made up of more than 200 detectives and around 100 staff who helped to gather evidence that led to more than 80% of people pleading guilty in Magistrates court in 2011?”

Posters raising awareness of the work of the Constabulary will be distributed across police stations and in key places amongst communities such as libraries, doctors’ surgeries and leisure centres throughout the campaign.

The campaign will be extended onto the Constabulary’s social networking accounts with dedicated ‘tweetdays’ and webchats.