Measures put in place to help women and and girls feel safer in Cumbria

Public places that cause concern for women and girls in Cumbria are receiving renewed focus from police as officers continue to prioritise safety through patrols, partnership working and other preventative measures.

Officers have listened to the views of those who took part in an online survey on the issue of violence against women and girls – and their concerns are at the centre of efforts to deter offences.

Earlier this year Cumbria Constabulary ran the Call It Out survey online. This was so the force could hear more from women and girls on how they felt about their own personal safety.

More than 2,480 people took part.

It sought opinion on topics including how women and girls felt in their own homes, neighbourhoods and towns. It included questions about personal experiences.

The data has since been analysed and it is now being used to better inform police services and work with partners.

Some of the key findings from the survey:

• The most frequent reason given for feeling unsafe was groups of people hanging around.

• Women and girls were most likely to feel unsafe at night - and while out in public.

• Nearly three in four respondents had experienced inappropriate behaviour or language.

The constabulary already carries out patrols around pubs and clubs to target anyone who looks like they may be preying on vulnerable people out in our night-time economy.

A Safer Streets Welfare Hub is in place in Carlisle to support people on a night out, specifically vulnerable people – and plans are in place to roll this out in the west and south of the county and to use them at major events.

This involves work with partners, which is a key part of making people safe.

The force state the data from Call it Out has helped focus bids for funding from the Home Office’s Safer Streets Funds, with a successful bid made by Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Peter McCall, which is being used on a number of measures.

The bids seek to tackle everything raised in Call It Out, from groups of people congregating, calls for improved lighting and more CCTV and tackling anti-social driving.

Detective Inspector Matt Belshaw is leading on these projects. He said: "The response to the survey was enormous and we've been through all that data to work out the areas that were of greatest concern.

"What's really positive is that from that data we can see that we are already policing those main areas.

"But there are now certain areas of Kendal for example, which we now know to focus patrols on. It's not just about getting extra funding, it's about making sure our police officers are in the right areas at the right times.

"Specifically highlighted though were The line in Workington, Bits Park in Carlisle and Penrith Town Centre. We've now been able to secure funding to hopefully improve those environments.

"What we really want to do though is address male behaviors towards woman. Those behaviors and attitudes are what cause this fear.

"We can do this through education in schools, university, engage our big employers in Cumbria to have the same considerations that we're implementing. It's a big societal thing."

Examples of work ongoing or planned with this funding:

The Line in Workington

In one example of this type of partnership, work is being carried out to make people feel safer at The Line in Workington – part of the Coast-to-Coast route.

Work being carried out on a section starting on Harrington Road through to Moorclose includes cutting back overgrown areas, upgrading paths, providing additional signage and removing graffiti and signs of substance abuse.

All of this is done with the intention of improving safety and making people feel safer.

Local school pupils will be designing new street art to cover the graffiti, with the theme of the art including safety of women and girls.

Hammond’s Pond in Carlisle

Work will be carried out to improve lighting in the park to improve feelings of safety and deter crime and anti-social behaviour.

Penrith town centre

Funding will be spent on reducing anti-social behaviour, which can increase concerns on the issue of violence against women and girls.