We have seen some dreadful scenes of violent disorder taking place up and down the country in the last week. These disgusting scenes have been based on a false narrative arising out of a dreadful event where an individual killed three little girls and injured a number of others. I must make it clear here - the Southport incident was not carried out by an immigrant, nor was it based on religion.
The disorder and violence seen across the country absolutely sickened me, it was carried out by mobs, it is not protest, it is criminal disorder and mindless violence. What else can you call it when a mob supposedly angry about the death of three little girls loots a Greggs, Lush and sets fire to a Shoezone?
Having been a police officer I know that such mindless violence will be dealt with robustly and that any individual identified as being involved in any such activity will be found, will be arrested and will face justice and the full force of the law. Those that took part should live in constant fear of that 6am knock on the door from the police, because it will come.
This includes those individuals who incite hatred online thinking that they are safe in the confines of their own basements, bedrooms and living rooms and that they can say whatever they like. Well, I have news for you, the individuals that hide behind your keyboard, if you break the law online you are no more safe from arrest and prosecution if you commit the offences in a virtual setting than if you were physically present at the scenes of disorder and, again, you will be dealt with. You will get the same 6am knock at the door and you will be dealt with in the real world.
Turning to Cumbria, our great, and welcoming county. We are the playground of the country. We welcome almost 50 million visitors each year to our county. These visitors come from all over the world and are from every imaginable background, race, religion and skin colour (not that that matters at all). They are still welcome here and I want to make that very clear.
Cumbria is an incredibly safe county, a great place to live and bring up your family, it remains so. The emergency services, police, fire, ambulance and our great NHS, will continue to work tirelessly to keep us safe and to protect us from harm.
The police, our Cumbria Constabulary, did a great job on Wednesday 7 August, preventing disorder in Carlisle. The issuing of a dispersal notice, followed by clear, visible policing and a series of preventative activity, including arrests of those inciting violence and hatred, worked.
I visited Carlisle Police Station on Wednesday afternoon and I was impressed by the level of preparedness and the quiet professionalism on display. I saw men and women, many of whom are Carlisle residents, many of whom who are younger than my own son (and possibly younger than I was when I served in Carlisle) quietly preparing for what could have been a night of dealing with bigotry and violence on a level that few of them had ever dealt with previously, based on what they had seen on national TV. There was no Gung Ho element to their preparations, just quiet readiness, peppered with a little disappointment that this sickening behaviour had, potentially, come to their home town and county.
Luckily, the work done to prepare for any violence and to arrest individuals who were inciting hatred online worked and, on this occasion, the violence was prevented. I sincerely hope that this continues to be the case.
The hatred I have seen online and elsewhere isn't the Cumbria that I know and love, it isn't the Carlisle where I have lived with my family for over a quarter of a century and it isn't something I am prepared to accept. Nor, I suspect, are most Cumbrians. I wrote this to Rob Carden, Cumbria Constabulary's Chief Constable today;
"If, given the hate poured at them by a minority, your staff ever wonder why they are doing what they do - I know from my background the chances are, in Cumbria, that if you see someone from another ethnic group, outside of a tourist area, they probably work in health care and the other emergency services alongside us. They are the people that look after you in A&E, that look after your nan after she has had a fall and that carry out that surgery you’ve been waiting for. They are hard-working, caring, kind and dedicated doctors, nurses and many other health care related professions that deserve our respect. These people, the ones who protect and care for us must be allowed to live here, as part of our community, in safety and in peace. This is why our police service are doing what they do to keep them, and people like them safe".
I will finish by saying that I thank all of the emergency services for their continued vigilance and service, that I stand against this mindless violence and bigotry in all of its forms and reiterate that Cumbria is a friendly, very welcoming place. It has an increasingly diverse make up and I am immensely proud of that. Our communities do not want, or deserve, to see the appalling scenes of violence we have witnessed in other towns and cities.
I would also remind those that may wish to get involved in violence (real or online), don't - you will be found, you will be arrested and you will face the full force of the law.
If any of the readers out there have been the victim of hatred in Cumbria, please report it to the Police on 101.
David Allen
Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Cumbria