Police chiefs call for 'more blanket' camping order

David Allen, Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC), and Darren Martland, Cumbria Constabulary’s chief constable, have signed a joint letter asking for the blanket order to cover the entire authority.

Westmorland & Furness Council is currently working to expand existing public space protection orders (PSPO) to tackle anti-social behaviour, however, there is no blanket ban.

The letter reads: “Both of us have seen the damage caused by fly-camping, littering, fire and other forms of anti-social behaviour.

“These issues place a strain on local services, risk serious harm to the environment and cause understandable frustration to the residents and businesses.”

The police chiefs said a county-wide order would allow for a more uniformed approach and give relevant authorities the mandate to tackle problems quickly.

They cite Cumberland Council’s authority-wide approach as something for Westmorland & Furness to emulate.

The letter also reads: “We want to stress thatt his request is made in the spirit of partnership and builds on the ongoing work we are already undertaking together to reduce anti-social behaviour.”

David Allen told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “It is quite clear that their view is that enough is enough and that this cannot continue. As a result, I will continue to listen and act on residents’ concerns.

“What is clear is that we cannot and must not be in the same position this time next year and that’s exactly why I have pulled partners together to ensure that we all deal with this more effectively and in a joined-up manner.”

Mr Allen also expressed the need for a “joint effort” from partners, especially in regard to “education, patrolling and enforcement”.

In correspondence between Mr Allen and council leader Jonathan Brook, Cllr Brook agreed that they needed to “tackle issues of anti-social behaviour in these beautiful areas of the Lake District”.

He also agreed that PSPOs are a “very useful tool” to do this, but that they had to be done in conjunction with other “enforcement powers” and information campaigns.

Cllr Brook wrote: “We need to carefully consider the extent of the area that any proposed order should cover at Ullswater to enable the effective targeting of resources to achieve maximum benefit and, importantly, establish land ownership and liaise with the relevant landowner in order to establish any PSPO proposal, and this work is already underway.

“I look forward to continuing to work with yourself and other partners on this matter.”

These actions are mandated by the Local Government Association, which the police chiefs acknowledged in their open letter.