HIGH-VISIBILITY patrols are returning to town centres across Cumbria as part of a renewed effort to tackle anti-social behaviour and an inspector has given an insight on what to expect.
Cumbria Police is currently delivering a third year of Operation Enhance, a high-visibility policing initiative, anti-social behaviour hotspots with additional patrols.
Inspector Damien Mottram of Cumbria Police said that the public can expect to see "additional patrols, within the hotspot policing areas, officers patrolling in pairs, high visibility, engaging with the public and deterring crime."
Funded jointly by Cumbria Police and the Police Fire and Crime Commissioner, Op Enhance patrols will be carried out in Carlisle City Centre, Barrow Town Centre, Penrith Town Centre, Hindpool in Barrow; Saint Nicholas Gate Retail Park in Carlisle and town centres in Workington and Whitehaven.
Operation Enhance began as a two-year Home Office-funded pilot.
It originally targeted 18 hotspots in its first year, later reduced to 15 in the second year.
The scheme recorded reductions in anti-social behaviour as high as 60 per cent in targeted areas over the initial two-year period.
Maryport Town Centre, for example, saw a 30.6 per cent drop in anti-social behaviour reports, compared to the same timeframe before the scheme began.
Despite the progress, Inspector Mottram said that a third year of the scheme was warranted, due to residents perception of safety and desire to see officers out on patrol.
He said: "Whilst it's great news that police recorded ASB is down to one of the lowest levels we've seen in years, we understand that there are significant challenges still in those areas, in relation to other crime types and also the public's perception in relation to safety, crime and anti-social behaviour.
"Overwhelmingly, what we hear from the public is that they still want to see those officers on patrol, providing that visible reassurance and tackling crime and ASB."
This year’s operation will focus patrols on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, when incidents of anti-social behaviour are most common.
The third year of Op Enhance began on June 15 and will run until August 30, after which the approach will be reviewed, adjusted if necessary and extended through the Christmas period and into 2027.
Between June 15 and July 27, officers made five arrests, carried out 14 stop searches and seized a metal pole in the targeted areas.
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