Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (Commissioner), David Allen visited Whitehaven and Workington with local MP Josh MacAlister to hear more about the local crime concerns and visited Firefighters at Workington Fire Station.
To start the day off, the Commissioner, MP and local Councillor Emma Williams attended a public drop-in session at Whitehaven Library to meet with any residents looking to raise their concerns around crime. Those who attended spoke on a variety of local issues such as speeding and violence against women and girls.
After the residents meeting, the Commissioner, MP and Councillor met with Community Beat Officer Louise Stubbings and PC Sarah Hindle to go out on a foot patrol in the Kells area and see first-hand the work being done to reduce crime. Anti-social behaviour has been a key issue, with young people knocking on doors, jumping into gardens and throwing items at people’s homes – damaging property in some instances.
High visibility patrols were increased, numerous house-to-house visits were made and CCTV enquiries were also completed. Education sessions were held with local youth groups and crime prevention surveys were offered to residents. Following this work, one of the youths was referred to a community resolution disposal and the remaining offenders were signed up to an Acceptable Behaviour Contract (ABC) to allow Officers to monitor their behaviour and prevent further offending.
The Commissioner and MP then headed out to Ullock to meet with the Rural Crime Team and a local farmer who has received crime prevention advice and a tracker on their quad bike following a quad bike theft. The Rural Crime Team spoke to the Commissioner and MP about the local rural crime trends in West Cumbria which mostly consist of rural roads anti-social driving and equine crime.
Rounding off a full day, the Commissioner and MP headed to Workington Fire Station to meet the local crew on shift, have a tour of the station and discuss local issues they are seeing in the area. The visit came to an abrupt end when the crew were called out to an emergency in the area – saving lives and keeping the people of Cumbria safe comes first!
Speaking about the visit, Commissioner David Allen, said: “As Commissioner, I believe it is important for me to be out in our communities to see first-hand the positive work of the Police and Fire and Rescue services. It also allows me to meet with local residents and listen to any concerns or ideas they may have.
“I, alongside Whitehaven and Workington MP Josh MacAlister and local councillor, Emma Williams, spent the day in the West meeting with local and going out on patrol with the Police to see the positive work that they do in Kells. The Neighbourhood Policing Team is doing a fantastic job at tackling and preventing youth ASB in the area, problem solving and making the community feel safer for all.
“We also met the Rural Crime Team, that I part fund, to speak with them about the rural crime trends in the West of the county. The Team highlighted that, although it does happen, quad bike thefts are less common in the West and that trends seem to focus on dangerous driving on rural roads and crime involving horses. Earlier in the day, the team had been putting up signs around the Seaton area, reminding drivers to slow down and provide plenty of space when passing horses.
“I’m always keen to meet local fire crews across the county so I was pleased to catch up with Firefighters at Workington Fire Station, before they got called out to an emergency. It was great to see the Station and hear more about the local concerns that affect the service.
“As your Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner, my role is to be the voice of residents within Cumbria, in respect of the Police and Fire services – I am your voice. If any member of the public has a concern about crime in their area, or around the Constabulary or Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service, please raise it with me at commissioner@cumbria-pcc.gov.uk or call 01768 217734.”
Josh MacAlister MP for Workington and Whitehaven said: “I thank Dave for coming to hear the concerns of communities in Whitehaven and Workington about crime and anti-social behaviour and discuss some ways we can tackle these problems. It was also a real pleasure to meet some of our brave local firefighters and hear about the work they do.
“I look forward to working with him and the new government in the years ahead to make our communities safer and protect and strengthen our police and fire services.”
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.
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