POLICE resources are so stretched in south Cumbria that there are now serious concerns over the ability of officers to do their job and protect the public.

That is the view of some serving police officers and members of their families, who have told The Westmorland Gazette they fear for their own safety and that of the public.

Both the officers and MP Tim Farron have raised concerns that funding cuts have meant, in their experience, only eight officers are on duty and ready to respond to 999 calls at any one time, and often if they are already dealing with an incident, this can be even less.

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However, Cumbria Assistant Chief Constable Andrew Slattery said the figures quoted with regards to the number of police officers did not present a wholly accurate picture of the situation.

He explained the position was a complex one and officers engaged in many other aspects of police work were available to respond to emergencies when on duty.

Mr Farron’s call came as one officer serving in the south of the county, speaking under a strict condition of anonymity, expressed his concerns over his recent experiences while on duty.

“To be down to three or four officers covering such a wide area is not unusual, and there as one instance recently when only two officers were available,” the officer said.

“A 999 call will always be answered but there is no pro-active policy and no cover and no resilience.”

“The number of officers is shrinking by the year and and there is just no cover available.

“We need more resources but police chiefs are just very defensive about it and we don’t understand why.”

The woman whose husband is a serving police officer officer and who also requested anonymity said she had no doubt the family’s home life was being affected.

“He comes home exhausted and just doesn’t want to do anything and he often says he just doesn’t feel like going into work,” she said.

“These problems have been building up for a number of years but they are getting worse.

“We just can’t understand why the people at the top are so defensive about the situation and are not demanding more resources to be made available.”

 A former Cumbrian officer, who has now left the force, said he had often started a shift with three other officers, but call outs reduced that to one.

The ex-officer said police were very dedicated but were being hampered in their efforts to do the job.

“We wanted to make a difference but we felt as though we were doing the job with one hand tied behind our backs,” he said.

All those who spoke out stressed that they understood the funding problems and were not speaking out in order to criticise police chiefs, but they had genuine worries over what they regarded as a worsening crisis and hoped police chiefs shared their concerns.

Mr Farron said he was extremely concerned about the situation and has launched a petition demanding more front-line officers for the South Lakes.

“Last year Cumbria had the third biggest increase in crime in the country – the criminals already know we are woefully under policed,” said the Westmorland and Lonsdale MP.

“I am deeply worried about the safety of our communities because of the Conservative cuts to police numbers which means, as I have seen with my own eyes, there are never more than eight police officers available to respond to 999 calls and patrol our area at any given time.

“But I am just as worried about the safety of those wonderful police officers themselves and the impact these cuts have on their families.

“In our large rural area, as our police do so much to fight to keep us safe, I fear that they are not safe themselves.

“As I saw when I went out on the beat with them most patrols compromise just a single officer with no backup. 

“I’m determined that we should have a large increase in the number of officers available to support our community.

“I know that Conservatives and bosses at Cumbria Police HQ will seek to muddy the water and pretend these cuts aren’t biting. But everybody in our area knows that they are.

“Police HQ bosses must not ignore the moving personal accounts of police officers and their families who are blowing the whistle on the cuts. They are speaking out because they want action and I’m determined to support them.

“That’s why I’m calling for the woeful maximum of eight officers to be turned into a minimum of 20 so that our excellent officers can be safe themselves and strong enough in numbers to keep us safe too.”

But Chief Constable Slattery Slattery insisted the issue was complex and the police strategy was the correct one.

“I welcome Mr Farron’s concern for the safety of our officers and the protection of our communities but for operational reasons it is never our policy to state how many officers are on duty in an area at any particular time,” he said.

“I am sure that the public would understand how such information would be of value to criminals or terrorists.

“I can, however, confirm that the numbers quoted do not represent the numbers deployed across the whole of South Cumbria, or indeed the South Lakeland District Council area as Mr Farron’s constituency of Westmorland and Lonsdale only forms a part of our South Cumbria policing area.

“The numbers quoted do not include armed response vehicles and mobile support patrols which are deployed across South Cumbria 24hrs a day and nor do they include specialist uniformed police officers, officers of sergeant ranks, problem solving officers or dog handlers, all of which are available to attend emergencies when on duty. Only this week a dog patrol in South Lakes attended an emergency incident of the theft of a quad bike in Dentdale and tracked a suspect across moorland for several miles before making an arrest. 

“Cumbria Constabulary operates as a whole county area and officers are frequently deployed across beat boundaries to maintain effective cover in our communities. The numbers of officers in this area will be significantly increased during the Appleby Fair period, for instance, by moving staff around the county. However, there are 100 officers and PCSOs stationed at Kendal, covering the South Lakes (East) area which covers Mr Farron’s constituency. These are not support staff but operational officers working to keep our communities safe.

“Policing in Cumbria has changed as threats in our communities have changed. Whilst visible patrols are still a vital part of policing the county, officers on foot patrol are simply not able to prevent domestic violence in the home, protect children against online sexual grooming, identify and target drugs gangs, guard against terrorism and extremism, or manage violent and sexual offenders on release from prison. All this high-risk “unseen” work requires police officers to provide the protection our citizens expect and balancing resources across the many demands we face is a constant factor of modern-day policing.

“In 27 years as an officer in every rank in Cumbria I have never heard fellow officers say that there are “enough” police but we must be realistic about the resources available and provide the maximum protection possible with the resource we have. We work closely with the Police Federation who represent front-line officers to ensure that our resourcing levels, shift patterns, working practices, equipment and training minimise the risk to our staff at all times. 

“Police officer numbers are higher now than they have been at any time since 2012, thanks in part to the recent contribution of local tax-payers.

“The service we provide to Cumbria is assessed by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) and the Inspectorate, who inspect every aspect of our operations, has judged Cumbria to be Good across all areas of policing, which places us amongst the top ranking forces in the country. There have been rises in crime nationally and changes in the way offences are recorded but Cumbria remains one of the safest places to live and visit in the country.

“We always strive to improve the service we provide and I look forward to meeting Mr Farron to discuss his concerns in greater detail but would like to reassure the communities of his Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency that they have a good police force that is working hard to protect them 365 days a year.”

And Westmorland Conservatives leader Cllr James Airey defended the police strategy and said they had responded effectively to rapidly changing circumstances.

“ I think we need to recognise that the police now have so many aspects of crime to deal with such as online crime,” he said.

“While we would all like to see more officers on the beat, the police today are fighting crime in many different ways.

“Tim Farron is trying to make political capital out of this but the police in Cumbria have a strategy which we should all support.”
“We should all be looking to work together to support the police in what they do.”