Neighborhood police targeting trouble spots in Workington

Throughout the week the force will be highlighting some of the work NPTs do across Cumbria, recognising the efforts put in on a daily basis to help tackle issues that matter to our communities most.

The teams, made up of Inspectors, Sergeants, PCs, Community Beat Officers, PCSOs and volunteers, work with partner agencies and local communities to talk openly about concerns and put actions in place to prevent and reduce crime and anti-social behaviour to ensure residents and businesses receive the best possible local policing service.

In Workington over the last year, the force have been aiming to address issues important to communities and that were raised in their consultations with people in the town..

One of the schemes launched by Police was the Introduction Scheme Link to local businesses in Workington, Keswick, Cockermouth and Maryport.

The scheme enables members to warn each other about suspicious behaviour and the presence of known shoplifters in the town centre, and it will also enable staff in bars, pubs and clubs to communicate with each other via an app and advise each other of any ongoing or potential incidents.

The team have also been working on the priority location of Northside, which has had issues with drug dealing, anti-social behaviour and criminality.

A multi agency hub referral was put in place to deal with the long term problem solving on Northside. Partners include Cumberland Council, Housing partners, Volunteers, Social Services and support services.

A dedicated PCSO was introduced to the area, PCSO Luke King who worked on engaging with the community, building trust and confidence. PCSO King held joint visits and attended community events to break down barriers in the community and improve engagement and communication.

This resulted in five successful warrants executed on properties in the area, all positive for drugs. Working closely with housing partners, Castles and Coasts, those that were found guilty of drug dealing were evicted from their property making the area of Northside safer for everyone.

Dedicated Community Beat Officers have been introduced across the areas of Workington, Maryport, Silloth and Aspatria, Cockermouth and Keswick.

Inspector Pete Aiston, of Workington Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: "Across the week we will be highlighting the work we do to tackle issues within our communities.

"This includes working closely with partners and engaging with our communities to understand and address the issues. We will also be taking a proactive approach to target road safety issues, anti-social behaviour and drug offences.

"We continue to ask our communities to report incidents to us. Without information being passed to Police and partners we may never become aware of it as a problem."

Cumbria’s Deputy Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Mike Johnson, said: "Neighbourhood Policing Team’s (NPTs) are incredibly important as they tackle local concerns around crime and ensure that these crimes do not escalate to more serious offences.

"Weeks of action such as Neighbourhood Policing Week provide us with the opportunity to showcase key examples of what the Police do year-round from tackling crime to educating and engaging with residents.

"The addition of Community Beat Officers as part of the NPTs across the county over the last year have made a huge difference in communities and we have seen a reduction in anti-social behaviour in areas across Cumbria.

"Neighbourhood Policing relies on the public to report crime and concerns so I would encourage everyone to report anything illegal or suspicious to 101 or 999 in an emergency. Together we can make Cumbria an even safer place to live."