Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (Commissioner), David Allen, received updates at his Police Public Accountability Conference (PAC) on Monday 15 June.
Overall crime reduced by 2.2% between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026 compared to the same period in 2024/25, with 816 fewer crimes, falling from 37,027 reports to 36,211. Anti-social behaviour (ASB) fell by 32.6% across the county and youth specific ASB dropped by 20.3%. Operation Enhance is a key factor in the ASB reduction, funded by the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, the operation places extra police patrols in 15 hotspots across the county.
Burglary fell by 4.6%, with 49 less reports in 2025/26 and thus a commensurate reduction in victims compared to 2024/25. However, robbery saw a rise by 6%, with eight more reports being made raising the figure from 133 to 141. Firearms offences seen a significant drop of 55.3%, falling from 47 to 21 reports whilst cyber-crime rose by 4.3%, with an additional 106 offences recorded.
During the meeting, the Commissioner also received an update specific to Rape and Serious Sexual Offences (RASSO) in Cumbria. In 2025/26, Cumbria Constabulary recorded 1,807 RASSO offences - a 0.5% decrease from the previous year with 8 less offences reported. RASSO reports accounts for 5% of all crimes recorded in the county during this time. Of all RASSO crimes, 11.8% (203 crimes) resulted in a charge, a rise of 1% locally from 2024/25. Most recent national data for 2025/26 shows that Cumbria’s charge rate for RASSO offences is higher than the national average.
Rape offences rose by 3.7%, with an additional 18 offences being recorded, rising from 483 to 501 reports. Of all rape offences, 44.5% (223) were domestic abuse related and 47.7% (239) were non-recent offences. Other sexual offences, such as grooming, sexual assault, sexual activity with child etc., fell by 2% with 27 less crimes being recorded.
Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, David Allen, said: “Holding the Constabulary to account is one of my key roles as Commissioner and my Public Accountability Conferences allow me to do this in a transparent manner.
“Crime and ASB continues to fall, which I’m really pleased about and I’m sure this is a trend that will continue. ASB has had a major reduction, with Operation Enhance playing a big part in this, targeting 15 ASB hotspots across the county. This is the crime type that most people will experience in their life so it’s important that we continue to tackle it and ensure the public feel safe in our communities.
“We’ve seen a reduction in burglary. Residential burglary continues to be a focus for the Constabulary through Operation Themis where weekly tactical meetings highlight local issues, identify the necessary outcomes and put the operational resources in place to drive burglary down. Our homes are most often where we feel safest, to have a criminal force their way into our house can be traumatic so I’m pleased to see this continues to reduce.
“We have seen a slight rise in cyber-crime, with Stalking and Harassment seeing the highest rise with 81 more reports in the last year compared to the previous period. With technology consistently advancing, cyber-crime will remain an issue as tech-savvy criminals flock online to target victims. The Constabulary continues to work with regional and national partners to investigate and prevent cyber-crime whilst identifying offenders. The rise is stalking offences is a concern but it also means that people are recognising the signs of stalking and reporting it to the Police, which is a positive. Please, if you are being stalked or harassed, on or offline, please report it to the Police.
“I also received a report on Rape and Serious Sexual Offences and the work being done to tackle this in the county. Although overall RASSO fell slightly, we have seen a rise in rape reports – this means people are reporting and have trust in our Police to do everything in their power to help. This is an area of police work that I take a great deal of oversight interest in – these are dreadful crimes against people and deserve the very best response from the police service as a result. It is one of my priority areas and I am committed to working with the police to improve the response, the victim/survivor support and to reduce what are unacceptably long timescales to get these matters from report to court. We are always looking at how we can improve investigations and how we can better support victims through the process. Anyone interested in finding out more about how we are doing this, should read the PAC reports on my website.
“I’d always encourage anyone that has experienced rape or sexual violence to report it to the Police on 101 or 999 in an emergency. However, I know this isn’t the best option for everyone, which is why I commission Victim Support Cumbria. They provide tailored support to anyone who has experienced a crime to help them cope and recover from the trauma, whether the victim has reported to the Police or not. They can be contacted on 0808 1689 111 or on their website, www.victimsupport.org.uk/cumbria. Please reach out if you need help.
“I look forward to continuing to hold the Constabulary to account over the next financial year. The PAC meetings are open to the public and media, if you would like to attend a PAC or would like to raise any concerns you may have around Policing, please contact me at commissioner@cumbria-pcc.gov.uk or on 01768 217734.”
Chief Constable Darren Martland said: “It’s pleasing to see the hard work and dedication of our officers and staff resulting in a reduction in recorded crime and, more importantly, fewer victims in Cumbria.
“I hope that our communities feel reassured that our Neighbourhood Policing Teams, which consist of dedicated police officers and PCSOs, listen to and, more importantly, tackle the issues that affect communities, such as anti-social behaviour.
“The protection of children and investigation of all forms of violence against women and girls is our main priority. Our specialist officers ensure that all allegations are fully investigated, and we work closely with partners to provide the necessary support for victims and witnesses”.
For the full Public Accountability Conference reports, visit the Cumbria Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner website.
If you wish to report to police you can do so online at Report a crime | Cumbria Police. You can also phone on 101. Always phone 999 in an emergency or if a crime is in progress.