About Cumbria
Cumbria is the second largest county in England by area (6768 sq.km), but has a total population of just under of half a million people. In overall terms, it is sparsely populated. Broadly speaking, the aggregate population has grown slowly over the last twenty years or so, with negative natural change (births minus deaths) being countered by inward migration, particularly in middle and older age groups.At the time of the last Census in 2001, the proportion of Black and Minority Ethnic people in the total population was very small, at less than one percent. However, this figure is beginning to grow, largely resulting from the inflow of workers to the hospitality and manufacturing sectors from recently joined members of the European Union, particularly Poland and other Eastern European countries.
In local government terms, the county operates a two-tier system. As well as the County Council, there are six districts: Allerdale Borough Council; Barrow Borough Council; Carlisle City Council; Copeland Borough Council; Eden District Council and South Lakeland District Council. There are three police Basic Command Unit areas: North (Carlisle and Eden); West (Allerdale and Copeland) and South (Barrow and South Lakeland).
Cumbria has few relatively large centres of population, with the biggest being the city of Carlisle in the north of the county. Others include: Barrow-in- Furness, Whitehaven, Workington, Penrith, Wigton, Cockermouth and Kendal. In addition, the county also contains all of the Lake District National Park, which incorporates popular tourism centres such as Ambleside, Keswick and Windermere/Bowness. There is continued upward pressure on house prices across most of the county, and this is having an impact on affordability, especially for young people trying to enter the housing market and reside close to family and friends.
In common with many other areas of the country, Cumbria has experienced structural change in industry over the last 30 years or so. For example, there have been job losses in mining, quarrying, engineering, chemicals and the nuclear sector, whilst there has been roughly corresponding growth in employment within the public sector, retailing and wholesaling, the hospitality sector and other service industries. Farming employment also continues to drift downwards in response to competition and changes to EU agricultural policy. The recently inaugurated University of Cumbria could make a significant contribution to retaining young people in the county and attracting new industry and higher skilled employment opportunities.
Economically, tourism is important to Cumbria and, therefore, planning for visitors and visitor numbers (especially in peak season) is vital for the police and other authorities. Whilst unemployment is relatively low overall, there are pockets of higher unemployment, often in more urban areas such as Barrow-in-Furness, Whitehaven, Workington and Carlisle. Some of the unemployment can be seasonal, for example, in the hospitality sector.
The Lake District, which occupies the whole of the centre of Cumbria, is famous for its landscape: a mixture of fells and mountains, lakes and streams, woods and forests, crags and moors. It is arguably the most picturesque corner of England. However, this great landscape is not without its difficulties. There are many twisting and undulating roads, and travel across the county can be difficult and time consuming - especially in winter! Distances are not insignificant. For example, Carlisle to Barrow-in- Furness is a round trip of 180 miles.
Apart from the myriad of minor roads, Cumbria also contains a small number of nationally strategic road routes, such as a lengthy stretch of the M6 motorway, and the trans-Pennine A69 and A66 trunk roads, all of which are heavily used by goods and other vehicles. The main west coast railway line also runs through the county. These strategic routes require constant and effective policing, not just to keep the roads clear and vehicles and passengers moving, but because they also serve as potential communications links for criminal activity.
Policing in rural areas is based fundamentally on regular inter-action between officers, support teams and the communities that they are appointed to serve. A good base of up-to-date local knowledge is crucial. As an example, a mobile police station visits 80 villages across north and east Cumbria on a monthly basis. This not only helps to reassure communities in outlying areas, but also has very real value as a place where people can voice concerns face-to-face, get advice about crime prevention and, where necessary, give victim or witness statements. It is very much an information exchange. In other parts of the county, the police relationship with the local population is based on patrolling community officers acting as that link.
However, notwithstanding its largely rural setting, Cumbria is no different from many other parts of the country in having to face issues that tend often to be associated with an 'urban' context, such as anti-social behaviour, drug and alcohol abuse and street crime. Addressing residents concerns about these types of activity and dealing with actual instances of such crimes form a significant part of the business of the police and other criminal justice agencies across the county.