Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, David Allen, said: “As we start to enjoy our Christmas celebrations, I would ask that you take a moment to think about all our emergency services who are working hard throughout the festive period to keep us all safe.
“Having worked in the emergency services at Christmas time over my 30-year career in law enforcement, I want to pass on my very genuine thanks to all emergency service workers in Cumbria who work tirelessly every day, including Christmas, when we are at home with our families. They put their family lives on hold at this time of year, putting us, the citizens they protect, first. They put their lives and health selflessly on the line to keep us, the public safe - we are incredibly fortunate to have such highly professional and dedicated Emergency Services at hand and available and we owe them a huge debt of gratitude.
“I would particularly like to thank all the Police Officers, Firefighters, civilian staff, and our many volunteers for all their hard work over the last year to keep us safe and consistently deliver professional and dedicated services. I also would like to thank the staff in my Office for their continuous hard work throughout the year.
“At this time of year, we will all be looking back over 2024 and reviewing it, as well as wondering where it went so quickly! I have now had the privilege of being your Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for seven months now and I would like to look back at what has been achieved since then.
“First and foremost, I was elected to be your voice in Police and Fire. To represent you, the public I serve. One of my main priorities is to get out into communities and provide everyone with the opportunity to raise their concerns with me. Since I’ve been in Office, I have been all across the county from Barrow to Carlisle, Workington to Kirkby Stephen, speaking to you – the residents - about your concerns. I’ve done this through formal surgeries, attending local events such as Westmorland County Show, Carlisle Pride and Keswick Victorian Fayre, going to local meetings from Rotaries to Love Barrow to the Women’s Institutes, to make sure that you get your say. I will continue to visit communities across the county to ensure that your voice is represented.
“In July, alongside the force we launched the Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) hotspot policing with an additional £1m of funding that my office secured from the Home Office. We have identified 18 hotspots and they are receiving additional patrols. The early results are really promising. In the first five months, Officers from the Constabulary conducted 174 stop and searches, submitted 393 intelligence submissions, and made 47 arrests during these extra patrols.
“Overall, performance is continually improving. Crime has increased by 4.7% from April 2024 following law changes around sexual offences where this year, threats to share personal images is now considered a sexual offence. This increase is also due to our Police being more proactive around stop and searches which has led to more drug offences being recorded. We’re taking drugs and weapons off our streets before they can be used which is a huge positive for all of us. Anti-social behaviour has reduced by 18.7% compared to the same time period in 2023. We’re investing more Officers and funding into our hotspot areas through Operation Enhance and Safer Streets and we are seeing the benefit.
“Together, with the Chief Constable, we are making progress in tackling the £16 million savings requirement. Savings have already been identified of £1m during the current financial year and these will grow to £2m by 2028/29. These identified savings do not impact on front-line operational policing. Further reviews are currently ongoing to continue to identify savings and efficiencies.
“Given the funding position that we find ourselves I have taken action and already my Office has reduced its budget by 11% the same amount of savings that the Constabulary presently faces. There is still a of work to do but we are focused on both police and fire delivering the best possible services within their budget.
“Together, myself and the Constabulary are working closely to draft and agree the upcoming Cumbria Constabulary Neighbourhood Policing Pledge – this pledge will outline to our communities a firm commitment to visible neighbourhood policing.”
“We are also making strides to continually improve Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service through collaborative working. My priority is to ensure that the service has a balanced budget and the resources that they need to keep Cumbria safe. We have recently invested in new turntable ladders at Carlisle East and Barrow; these will provide a safe system of work for Firefighters to respond to and resolve incidents at height, and also provide a water bowser for major building fires. This equipment will assist Firefighters tackling serious incidents – if this equipment helps save even one life, then it is absolutely worth the investment.
“We are also investing in the Estate across CFRS – we have done a thorough condition survey across the county to see where our facilities need to be updated after inheriting a poor estate footprint. These surveys have highlighted the necessary changes, so we are putting money into our local stations to ensure they are fit for purpose to keep staff safe.
“The first seven months have been a whirlwind but I’m really enjoying getting into the job, making positive changes and holding the Services to account on your behalf. The next three and a half years will be a challenge, especially given the financial situation, but I will continue to work with Police and CFRS to maintain and improve services across the county and to ensure that your voice is heard within these services.
“I hope everyone has a lovely festive period and New Year celebration – please keep yourselves and others safe and I wish you all the very best for 2025.”
Chief Constable Rob Carden, Cumbria Constabulary, said: “Our police officers, staff, PCSOs and volunteers will be working throughout the festive period to keep our communities safe. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our staff for all their hard work and commitment over the past twelve months.
“I would also like to thank the public for their continued support throughout this year. The information and support we receive from our communities is crucial to keeping people safe.
“I wish everyone a happy and safe Christmas and New Year period.”
Fire Service Lead, Paul Hancock, said: “This year has been a continuous year of growth, working towards an even better Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service for all residents and visitors of the county.
“Our crews and staff have worked tirelessly, around the clock so that we could all stay as safe as possible and this Christmas period will be no exception.
“We have accomplished so much, and this could not have been achieved without the tremendous levels of professionalism, dedication and skills that we are fortunate to have right throughout our organisation; from those on the frontline who put their lives on the line every day, to our support staff who work tirelessly to keep us functioning so successfully.
“I’d like to thank everyone within our service – and all emergency services – who will be continuing to work hard throughout the festive period to keep us all safe.
“On behalf of Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service, I wish all our residents a safe and enjoyable festive period.”