The county of Cumbria is policed by a one of the most competent police forces in the country. With its roster of dedicated officers and quality performance, the Cumbria police force, better known as Cumbria Constabulary, is a first-rate law enforcement body.
Cumbria Constabulary polices a non-metropolitan, sparsely-populated county in North West England which is the second largest in terms of area. The Cumbria police force covers a vicinity of about 2,268 square miles with a resident population below 500,000. Its area encompasses several key rural settlements with 67 miles of motorway as well as urban centres situated in Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness.
The Cumbria police force is the fifth largest in England and Wales. Carleton Hall, the headquarters of its 2,151-strong force is located near Penrith. Cumbria Constabulary is organised into three Basic Command Units. These BCUs include North Cumbria which serves Carlisle and Eden, South Cumbria which covers Barrow and South Lakeland, and West Cumbria which polices Copeland and Allerdale. In addition to its main force, nine non-operational departments also support Cumbria police officers from headquarters.
Over the years, a number of men and women from Cumbria Constabulary have been honoured nationally and locally for their outstanding service. In June 2010, Cumbria Special Constables won the nation team award given during the Special Constabulary and Police Support Volunteer Awards ceremony for their work during the floods in the previous November. In the same ceremony, another Cumbria Special Constable, Susan Holliday, was also recognised for her contribution to the Farmwatch programme. Also in 2010, two Cumbria Constabulary staff members were honoured by the British Association for Women Policing for their exceptional achievements.
Cumbria Constabulary has likewise demonstrated its effectiveness in crime prevention. According to its year-end report, there were 2,500 fewer offences for the period 2009-2010 than the previous. This represented an overall decline of about 8.8% in cases. The decrease implied that Cumbria police has been successful in reducing criminal activity according to its set priorities. Cumbria Constabulary now embraces the challenge of maintaining its level of performance.
With a committed and capable police force, the county of Cumbria is definitely in good hands.
