One month since launch, partners and organisations across the county are continuing to keep our town centres safe as part of the Home Office’s Safer Streets Sumer Initiative. The project aims to raise the positive work taking place to tackle anti-social behaviour (ASB), reduce and prevent crime and restore confidence in local services
Led by Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (Commissioner), David Allen, the three-month initiative includes partners such as Cumbria Constabulary, Cumberland Council, Westmorland and Furness Council, Public Health, Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service, Remedi, The Well Communities and Cumbria Youth Alliance.
From 16 July to 20 July, a multi-agency team from Police, Fire, Council and 3rd sector partners delivered 324 presentations to 470 children from 21 schools. The sessions involved presentations around lifesaving, personal safety, and crime prevention advice. The presentations covered a variety of topics including anti-social behaviour, water and road safety, home and fire safety, alcohol, vape and drugs misuse. These events were funded by Commissioner David Allen, with money secured from the Home Office.
Operation Enhance continued in targeted town centres seeing extra police patrols in 18 hotspots across the county. In these hotspots, we have seen a reduction in anti-social behaviour (ASB) and serious violence by 37% and 5.4%, respectively, when comparing 1 July 2024 – 30 June 2025 with the same period in 2023/24. These reductions mean our streets are safer and more welcoming to residents and visitors looking to enjoy our communities, there are more Police on the beat deterring criminals from committing their crimes and less victims of crime.
Partners across the county took part in anti-social behaviour awareness week (30 June – 6 July). Local Neighbourhood Policing Teams visited schools to raise awareness around how victims may feel, how ASB could lead to crime and how to treat public areas and others with respect. Remedi and The Well Communities joined the Police, housing teams and other agencies across Cumbria provided residents the chance to pass on concerns and report any ASB issues.
Cumbria Constabulary are working towards an even safer nighttime economy here in the county with Officers providing training and posters highlighting the ‘Ask for Angela’ scheme. ‘Ask for Angela’ is used by bars and other venues to help people when they feel unsafe or uncomfortable on a night out. Asking for Angela signals to staff that help is needed. In Whitehaven, 25 premises have signed up with training and posters delivered and all licenced premises in Barrow have been visited and received posters.
Work has taken place to engage with our young residents in Kendal as Restorative Hope Workers (RHW) delivered ASB presentations to 500 pupils in schools with local Police, Fire and Council also attending. Across Carlisle, Barrow, Kendal and Whitehaven, 84 young people and 29 adults have engaged with the RHWs.
Recovery Steps Cumbria has trained 40 new individuals to administer Naloxone, a product that reverses the effects of a drug overdose, to reduce drug deaths in the county. Those trained include community mental health teams and The Well Communities staff and volunteers.
Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, David Allen, said: “Partners continuously work together to keep our communities safe and projects such as Safer Streets Summer Initiative provides us with the opportunity to highlight the positive work being done.
“ASB is the crime-type most likely to affect residents and it will take a community effort to prevent and tackle it.
“I’m really pleased to share the positive outcomes and highlight what we are doing to ensure that our town centres are safe and welcoming for everyone.
“We have two months left of the initiative. I sincerely hope that residents do see a difference in their local town centre and that they take comfort in knowing that their public services are doing all they can to keep them safe.”
Temporary Superintendent Annette McClement, Cumbria Constabulary said: “It has been a busy summer so far with our officers and staff working closely with partner agencies across the county as part of this summer safety campaign.
“Our force is committed to providing visible and effective neighbourhood policing to prevent crime and anti-social behaviour.
“We will continue to carry out operational activity which aims to keep people safe and address matters which affect our communities.
“I would encourage everyone to follow our social media channels to find out more about the work we will do throughout the summer and updates on our activities.”
Steph Cordon, Westmorland and Furness Council Director of Thriving Communities, said: "We all want our streets and town centres to feel safe and welcoming and that’s what this initiative aims to deliver.
“By working together, we can tackle anti-social behaviour and improve our streets and spaces for everyone’s benefit. We look forward to continuing to work with our partners and seeing more positive impacts in our communities.”
Cumberland Council Leader, Mark Fryer, said: “We want Cumberland’s residents to feel they live in safe and thriving communities. That’s why we work closely with partners all year round on things like antisocial behaviour, enforcing Public Space Protection Orders, and issuing fines for fly-tipping, fly-camping and littering.
“Our Local Focus Hubs lead important work on tackling antisocial behaviour as a partnership with all agencies involved.
“This summer we have staged several Operation Respect events – bringing communities together to foster civic pride and good relationships with those who keep us safe. We also lead the Community Safety Partnership – major strands of its work are around tackling antisocial behaviour and keeping women and girls safe.
“I look forward to people enjoying the rest of the summer safely due to the collective work of all the agencies involved in Safer Streets Summer.”
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.