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In this months newsletter we will be covering the work done across January as well as the work we have been doing for the Neighbourhood Policing Week of action (23 – 27 January)
Th week of action is aimed to highlight the work carried by our teams all year long.
Our neighbourhood policing teams work throughout the year to support the communities they serve by tackling the issues and concerns that matter to them.
Crime and anti-social behaviour can have a detrimental and lasting impact on not only those directly affected, but also the wider community. Our officers and PCSOs work tirelessly with communities and partner agencies to ensure residents and businesses receive the best possible local policing service.
Inspector Richard Smillie
PACT (Police And Communities Together) survey
Residents of South Whitehaven and St Bees
Your neighbourhood policing team are reviewing our community's priorities.
If you have any ongoing neighbourhood problems in your area and would like the us to consider them, or would like to meet the use to discuss them; We would like to invite all (within the enclosed area of the attached map) who live about these village beats, to fill out the linked community survey within 2 weeks.
 An insight into neighbourhood policing
As well as community engagement we work alongside a variety of other departments in the police.
This can mean we can be tasked to look for missing people, directing traffic at road traffic collisions, giving support to victims of crime and anti-social behaviour, carrying out CCTV and house to house enquiries, crime prevention surveys and street safe questionnaires.
These enquiries can be time consuming and lengthy at times. This type of work however is instrumental to keep our communities safe.
Theft from vehicle
We are urging the public to be vigilant and report incidents after a series of thefts from vehicles in the Bransty and Hillcrest area of Whitehaven.
Two people have been arrested in connection and released on police bail.
Anyone with CCTV or doorbell footage and information about the incidents is asked to contact police.
Officers will also be patrolling the area and carrying out enquires In the area to gather information to support our investigations.
We are urging members of the public to ensure they lock their vehicles to prevent thieves access to any possessions stored inside cars or vans. Where possible do not leave valuables in your vehicle or visible to opportunist criminals.
The following advice is provided to assist in reducing the opportunity for items of value from being stolen from vehicles:
 Do not leave your vehicles unlocked
Never leave any items of value in your vehicle on leaving it unoccupied
Do not leave items of value in the boot – some parcel shelves may not fit flush or may have dropped off centre after use, the smallest of gaps may provide an opportunity for an offender to see through
Wherever feasible do not leave any work or business-related equipment in your vehicle, especially when your vehicle is left unoccupied overnight – having such items stolen can have a serious impact on your livelihood
Remove items of value from the glove box – this includes vehicle registration documentation
You may know that a bag or a box in your vehicle is empty or contains nothing of value, but an offender won't do and it may catch their attention
Anyone with information on suspicious activity is asked to report this online at https://orlo.uk/A2SjY or call 101. If you witness a crime in action, please dial 999.
Police desk
PCSO Colette Harrison and PC Sarah Hindle attended a police desk at Top of the Shops Café.
Safety advise and crime prevention tools were given out. We recieved a warm and friendly welcome along with some very nice coffee and cake.
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Upcoming police desk dates
- 14 February 11am to 12pm - Mobile police desk outside Moresby Stores
- 15.February 4:30pm to 6pm - Mobile police desk Home Bargains car park
- 20 February 10am to12pm - We will be attending the Warm hub at the United Reform Church on Market Place, Whitehaven
Community engagement
On Monday 23 January, PCSO Mark Fishpool attended the Warm Wellness Hub at the United Reformed Church in Whitehaven.
The session was very well attended and allowed for some good engagement, providing crime and safety advice to attendees.
Warm spots
A Warm Spot offers a warm, welcoming space for people to visit this winter if they need it. They are run by a range of different organisations including churches, village halls, local councils and libraries.
All Warm Spots have their own opening days and times and the services available vary. You can find details here - Warm Spots | Cumbria County Council Alpha
Violence Against Women and Girls
As well as being community beat officers for Whitehaven and Cleator Moor, PC Heidi McCulla and PC Sarah Pickering-Smith are dedicated officers to the Violence Against Women and Girls campaign.
They conduct preventative foot patrols around our areas to provide reassurance and a chance for anyone to stop us for a chat, to discuss any concerns, offer safety advice or simply to say hello.
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On 4 January, PC Heidi McCulla was in Whitehaven conducting patrols as part of our work on Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG).
The patrols are based on areas where violence has been reported and in areas where there are pubs and nightlife.
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School visits
Distington Community School
On Tuesday 10 January, PC Sarah Hindle and PCSO Mark Fishpool visited the nursery and reception classes at Distington Community School.
The visit was organised as part of the classes 'People who help us' topic.
The officers talked to the children about their roles and some of the equipment that they carry. The children also had the opportunity to handle a pair of handcuffs, and dress up in police uniform.
Distington Community School
On 24 January during Neighbourhood Policing Week PCSO Samantha Watson attended Distington Community School to give a talk to year 5 and 6 about anti-social behaviour and its consequences.
Do you know where your child is in the evenings and at weekends?
 Moresby Primary School
PCSO Samantha Watson attended Moresby Primary School to visit the early years children, they got to try on some police uniform and had a look inside the police van.
Thanks for a lovely afternoon, the children were very well behaved.
Bike security marking
Interested in getting your bicycle security marked.
For a low cost of £5 per bike with free registration on Bike Registers database contact PCSO Mark Fishpool by emailing 101emails@cumbria.police.uk to arrange an appointment.
Police are asking people to remain vigilant following a handful of scam phone calls to people in Cumbria in recent days from fraudsters.
The scams fit the pattern of what are known as “courier frauds”, where fraudsters pretend to be officials such as police officers, HMRC officials or bank fraud teams.
The scam differs slightly from call to call.
But the fraudsters often request bank details, money to be sent electronically, cash to be withdrawn at the bank for collection or expensive items to be bought for collection at a later time.
Officers are asking anyone who has been victim to such a scam to come forward.
If you receive a call you’re not expecting, you should be suspicious. The vital things to remember are that your bank and the police would:
- Never ask you for your bank account details or PIN number over the phone.
- Never ask you to withdraw money and send it to them via a courier, taxi, bank transfer or by any other means.
- Never ask you to send your bank cards or any other personal property to them via courier, taxi or by any other means.
- If you have any doubts about the identity of the person that you are speaking with, please put the phone down and attend the bank or police station in person, wherever possible, to discuss the call you have received, or call a trusted number for the bank or police using a different telephone than the one that you have been contacted on.
We ask that the public please share this information with any vulnerable friends or family.
If you think you have been the victim of a fraud you can report this to police on 101 and to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 – or by visiting their website at https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/
 The Goverment launched StreetSafe, an online tool to allow people to flag places where they have felt unsafe, and describe factors that caused them concern, including anti-social behaviour or environmental reasons. This can range from poorly paths to public harassment, these are then raised with the us whether or not a crime has been committed.
We will work with partners to address any issues raised.
If there are any public areas where you feel unsafe due to environmental issues e.g. poor street lighting, abandoned buildings, vandalism etc. please report these here - StreetSafe | Police.uk (www.police.uk)
Please note 'StreetSafe' is not for reporting crime or incidents.
Join us!
Have you ever thought about being a police officer?
Could you be make a real difference to people in Cumbria and help keep them safe?
Recruitment is open now. We are looking for enthusiastic and dedicated people to apply now to join our teams.
For more information on the role of a police officer and the numerous entry routes, please visit www.cumbria.police.uk/careers.
Your local officers
Want to know who your local officers are?
Simply go to our website - www.cumbria.police.uk
Scroll down the home page and you can browse different areas to see who your local team are - or enter your postcode.
Not only will you be able to find out who your named local officers and PCSOs are, you will also be able to view our local policing priorities and details of any meetings or events we will be attending.
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In other news
Operation Alliance protects Cumbria against serious and organised crime
Cumbria Constabulary today reveals the scale of the work underway to protect the county against serious and organised crime.
Drugs criminals, online offenders and those exploiting the vulnerable were among those caught and jailed in the last year after departments across the constabulary worked to keep the streets safe and deter and solve crime.
Officers also joined forces with other law enforcement and partner agencies dealing with the world of serious and organised crime throughout the year.
This work is carried out under the banner of Operation Alliance and will continue throughout 2023. Read more here.
Copeland – highlighting the vital work of your neighbourhood officers - Cumbria Constabulary
Whitehaven man jailed for rape - Cumbria Constabulary
Four charged for drug offences following cannabis farm discovery - Cumbria Constabulary
PCSO reduces anti-social behaviour in Cleator Moor - Cumbria Constabulary
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