South Cumbria Community Safety Partnership (CSP)

Last Updated: 3 April 2024

The South Cumbria Community Safety Partnership (CSP) is made up of a mixture of organisations from the public, private and voluntary sectors. They work together to reduce crime and provide reassurance to our communities.

The aim of the CSP is to:

• reduce crime and provide reassurance to our communities through partnership working between public, private and voluntary sectors
• reduce substance misuse, anti-social behaviour and re-offending
• encourage partners to make community safety a priority
• enable a streamlined and transparent decision making process
• establish community priorities through effective consultation with communities and residents
• provide a means to improve the quality of life for the residents of the South Cumbria

The CSP will achieve its aims by:

• identifying the priorities and targets for inclusion in a Partnership Plan
• ensuring task group action plans deliver against agreed outcomes
• reviewing and publishing a CSP Partnership Plan
• ensuring local priorities are escalated to the Safer Cumbria Board and PCC for Cumbria

The Strategic Assessment

CSPs in England and Wales have to prepare an annual assessment of crime in their area. In Cumbria, this is called the Community Safety Strategic Assessment.

There are summaries for each district council area and the crime statistics show South Lakeland is a very safe place to live, work and explore, with some of the lowest levels of crime in Cumbria.

Statistics, crime data, analysis and information for South Cumbria can be found on The Joint Strategic Needs Assessment.

CSP plan 2019 to 2020

South Cumbria is already one of the safest places in the country. The Community Safety Partnership Plan aims to make it even safer. The plan has five priorities:

Protecting vulnerable people

Aims: To help safeguard people against being exploited and abused and support those with mental health problems.

Key deliverables:

• identify and support vulnerable victims at risk of crime or exploitation
• improve the confidence of victims to report hate crime and provide support for victims
• we will make victims of crime aware and encourage them to consider using free-to-use restorative justice services

Substance abuse and drug supply

Aims: Raise awareness amongst young people and reduce the number of bad decisions made by improving their decision making.

Key deliverables:

• ATiC project: performances and workshops in ten schools in South Cumbria
• fewer young people being involved with drug supply
• support retailers and education in relation to underage drinking and proxy sales

Violent crime

Aims: To reduce the number of people affected by alcohol related crime.

Key deliverables:

• work with licensees and partners to reduce alcohol related violence
• support victims of violence through partnership working
• work with partners to provide education of alcohol misuse

Domestic abuse

Aims: Protect our communities against domestic abuse through education and support.

Key deliverables:

• increase the reporting of domestic abuse
• support victims through joined up partner working
• encourage behaviour change of perpetrators through effective schemes
• work with young males who have witnessed domestic abuse to stop them becoming offenders

Antisocial behaviour

Aims: To work with the local focus hubs to reduce anti-social behaviour where it occurs.

Key deliverables:

• target vulnerable locations through multi agency intervention
• increase public confidence in the ability of partners to deal with crime and anti-social behaviour
• support targeted diversionary activities to reduce the likelihood of young people being involved in ASB

CSP activities 2017 to 2019

The CSP organisations deliver a range of initiatives right across our area. The case studies here are about two of the CSP's larger scale projects.

South Lakeland case study

The CSP aims to improve the lives of children and young people through innovative projects. In 2018 the CSP funded a Theatre in Education project with the aim to bring high quality, immersive theatre and workshops to local schools on community safety issues affecting Cumbrian young people.

The resulting production of ‘Ruby’, and associated workshop, was taken to nine schools, with 1,520 audience members in 2018. In addition, two schools were amongst 135 audience members who attended a special performance at the Brewery Arts Centre.

Five schools and 290 pupils also experienced the performance and Q&A via a live stream.

This fast-paced production was based on real life stories and focused on the pressures facing young people. Its aim was to encourage young people to share their experiences with each other to develop resilience.

Feedback was extremely positive: “Really enjoyable to watch while being moving and insightful. It will provide some great opportunities for discussion” said a class teacher.
“The play was the most eye-opening, realistic story I have heard. This has showed me how to help my friends and myself” said a pupil.

The 2019 round of performances will centre around drug use and County Lines activity and how young people can stay safe and make the right choices.

Barrow case study

Egerton Court in Barrow (supported by South Cumbria CSP) is an example of what can be achieved through partnership working. This location was well known for criminality and anti-social behaviour but work by the police also identified that many of the residents were vulnerable people.

In early 2019 a multi-agency welfare hub opened in Egerton Court and now residents can easily access support services and advice, making the area a better place to live for all. Through targeted multi-agency work the number of incidents has steadily reduced.