Statistics place Cumbria as one of the best performing forces in the country

A national survey has found Cumbria Constabulary to be the number one force in England and Wales for understanding residents’ concerns, with most people having confidence in local policing – and the majority of those asked in our county agreed officers in their community can be trusted.

Results from the survey, used by the Government to measure crime and develop ways of tackling it, also revealed:

• Nearly 85 per cent of people surveyed agreed police in Cumbria would treat them with respect.

• More than 72 per cent had overall confidence in policing in Cumbria – placing the county in the top five nationally.

• Cumbria was second in England and Wales for the percentage of people who agreed the force and their local council were dealing with the anti-social behaviour and crime issues that mattered.

Assistant Chief Constable Jonathan Blackwell said: "I am extremely proud of all the positive results the force continues to achieve.

"We are here to serve this county and our communities – and one of the best measures of how successful we are at doing so is what our residents think about the policing service they receive.

"What is particularly pleasing is most people taking part in this survey agree we understand their concerns and are proactively tackling anti-social behaviour and crime.

"It is also a reflection of the professionalism, empathy and caring nature of officers and staff that most people agreed they would be treated with respect and that they had overall confidence in what we do.

"We have seen a large reduction in anti-social behaviour (43 per cent) and burglary (32 per cent). It’s good to see that people are seeing the difference, with a relatively small percentage of people think there is a high level of anti-social behaviour.

"We have introduced Community Beat Officers to our Neighbourhood Policing teams and they are visible in our communities, carrying out proactive patrols and increasing stop-searches, which we believe drives down anti-social behaviour and crime.

"This, as well as our Neighbourhood Pledge, keeps neighbourhood policing at the heart of our work.

"This survey shows this work is paying off and that our officers and staff know their communities well and know what the concerns are on the streets of our neighbourhoods.

"We hope by continual improvement we can increase the percentage and number of people who have trust and confidence in us even further."