Performance and Measurement

Summary

Cumbria is the second largest county in England but, with a population of under half a million, is one of the most sparsely populated. Much of the area is rural, and is popular with tourists. There are also certain sites, such as Sellafield, which require significant contingency planning. These factors result in a diverse and challenging policing environment. However, Cumbria is one of the safest places to live in the country.

The 2007 and 2008 HMIC inspections of neighbourhood policing confirmed Cumbria’s continuing strong performance in this area. Local policing teams provide locally responsive services to national standards, and have developed some nationally recognised best practice including their approaches to community engagement, driving joint problem solving activity to address local community priorities. Cumbria Constabulary’s services achieve high rates of public satisfaction and HMICs citizen focus inspection showed that national standards are met. Ongoing work will ensure the force’s systems meet public needs, by involving front line staff in designing improvements. The inspection of major crime, e.g. murders, found that the constabulary had made important investment and improvements in this area and achieved excellent detection rates, but did not yet meet all the national standards. The continuing investment programme will tackle shortcomings in staffing and structure.

In 2006/2007 the constabulary achieved its best ever performance figures. During 2007/2008, it again improved its performance, reducing crime and anti-social behaviour and increasing detections, and achieved all but one of its targets. The number of people killed or seriously injured on the county’s roads has also decreased.

Cumbria Constabulary has high levels of public confidence in policing services. In 2007/2008 the constabulary successfully delivered the priorities which local communities asked it to. Criminal damage, violent crime and anti-social behaviour were all reduced. The proportion of crimes which were detected also increased.

As part of the 2007 HMIC inspection of protecting vulnerable people, arrangements for managing offenders to protect the public were graded poor. The constabulary has invested significantly in staffing and skills for this area. Together with partner agencies, it commissioned a major independent review of structures and processes and has already begun implementing the findings. Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary has subsequently regraded arrangements in this area as fair.

During 2007/2008 the constabulary made and kept in contact with 133 communities, using networks of key people and street-based operations, to find out what their local priorities are and make sure it is tackling them. This approach has been recognised nationally as best practice.

This year the constabulary achieved outstanding crime detection rates and has one of the highest in the country. Further, it has worked with partners to reduce reoffending by the county’s most prolific offenders by 86%. The constabulary has radically improved its capacity to deal with serious and organised crime. During 2007/08 it confiscated assets with a value of £1.5m and carried out the biggest ever drugs seizure (worth £15m) from a UK port.As a result of a specific programme to tackle domestic violence in Cumbria, more victims have the confidence to contact the force and more people have been arrested for domestic violence.

The key challenge for the future is to continue building public satisfaction and confidence from already high levels. To do this, the force will continue to develop joint neighbourhood services with partners, build on its RESPECT campaign to encourage strong communities and ensure it makes best use of its front line resources.