CUMBRIA Police made more than 1000 arrests in the county in December as part of a festive crackdown on crime.

A series of policing operations took place to target criminals and prevent crime covering themes such as drink and drug driving, burglary prevention, domestic abuse, personal safety, retail crime and targeting wanted people.

In total, 1,032 arrests were made with 794 stop searches also carried out.

Assistant Chief Constable (ACC) Dave Stalker said: “December is often one of our busiest months of the year and I am delighted to say that our officers were able to respond quickly to the vast majority of incidents.

“Whilst a significant number of arrests have been made, it is also important to note that the efforts made throughout December will have led to countless crimes being prevented.

“We are also continuing to appeal for information from the public on the whereabouts of individuals shared as part of our Wanted This Winter campaign.”

Police have successfully located five out of the 12 individuals subject to the appeal, but are still urging the public to get in touch if they have any information.

READ MORE HERE: Wanted: People Cumbria Police want to find

Operation Themis, focusing on the force’s response to burglary saw 53 arrests for 68 burglaries in the month.

Police also made 67 arrests for suspicion of shoplifting and 90 arrests in relation to domestic abuse-related incidents.

An initiative was conducted in the Carlisle and Wigton areas where officers were joined on shift by Independent Domestic Violence Advisors, who offered victims of reported domestic abuse immediate support and advice.

Work is now ongoing to explore how this can be rolled out on a more regular basis.

Operation Limit, focusing on drink and drug driving saw officers stop more than 1,800 motorists as part of a proactive approach to prevent loss of life on Cumbria’s roads.

In total, 1,302 were tested at the roadside with 130 people arrested.

READ MORE HERE: More than 130 drivers arrested for drink or drug driving in December

Operation Alliance, the force’s ongoing response to serious and organised crime in the county resulted in more than £425,000 seized from the county’s road networks. In total, 12 kilos of cannabis were also seized.

Over a period of four days within the month, officers successfully arrested 20 individuals for a range of offences including Class A drug supply. Notably, on one day alone, they arrested 11 wanted people.

Cumbria Police received calls for 7,800 incidents with officers managing to respond to 92.8 per cent of the 2,358 incidents graded as an emergency call within the target response time.

They also managed to attend to 96.8 per cent of the 1,721 incidents graded as a priority response within the target response time.

“These results provide a snapshot of the significant work undertaken by police officers, staff, and volunteers during the past month," ACC Stalker continued.

“I would like to thank the public for their assistance. Your information is crucial to us investigating and preventing crime.

“We are far from complacent. Cumbria is not a soft touch, and we will continue to do all we can to bring offenders to justice.”

Chief Constable Rod Carden added: “Many of the operations and activity which were undertaken last month are done so throughout the year. I can assure you that we will continue to be robust in ensuring criminals are held accountable for their actions.

“I hope that this sends a clear message to those who attempt to commit crime in Cumbria; your actions will not be tolerated, and we will do all we can to protect our communities.”