CUMBRIA Police stopped nearly 50 vehicles as part of Operation Checkpoint, a rural crime operation which sees police forces working together to prevent and disrupt criminality.

On Monday night (July 1), Cumbria’s Rural Crime Team were joined by officers from the Firearms Support Unit, Roads Policing Unit, Special Constabulary and volunteers from the Kirkby Stephen community.

Officers were joined on the eastern side of Cumbria which shares borders with a number of other forces by Assistant Chief Constable Jonny Blackwell, Chief Inspector Lee Skelton and the Police Fire and Crime Commissioner David Allen.

Police confirmed 47 vehicles were stopped during the operation with three vehicle searches, and three traffic offence reports issued.

They also carried out 23 engagements with members of the public where crime prevention advice was given around security.

Speaking about the operation, Inspector Alex Johnson said: “We continue to show contempt for all types of rural crime and those criminals intent on committing it.

“Operation Checkpoint shows our continued commitment and our proactivity in working alongside bordering forces to target individuals travelling to commit crime.

“I hope this provides reassurance to our communities, that we continue to take action. We also had some positive engagement with the community on security of their property.

“We continue to need the support of our rural communities, by being vigilant and report any crimes and any suspicious activity to we can direct our resources accordingly.”

Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, David Allen, said: “As we live in a predominantly rural county it is incredibly important that tackling rural crime is a priority for Cumbria Constabulary.

“Tackling rural crime was one of my key pre-election pledges, so I am delighted to see the force taking planned action in respect of it.

“I was able to attend Operation Checkpoint, and I was delighted to see the Police proactively stopping suspicious vehicles as well as providing prevention advice to the public. The planning and execution of the operation was meticulous and, I’m pleased to see, involved local volunteers.

“This, to my mind, captures the Chief Constable’s 4Cs vision for the force - Contempt for Criminality and Community Focus working with local partners to investigate and prevent crime and solve problems.

“Prevention is key to reducing crime – if we make it harder for criminals to take advantage of us, the less likely they will try.

“I hope that the public feel more reassured by the presence of officers pro-actively targeting rural crime. This isn’t a one off, operations such as this will continue to take place regularly so I hope it sends a message to anyone looking to commit a crime in Cumbria – you will be caught, and you will face the consequences.

“I would encourage rural residents to continue to report any suspicious behaviour to the Police on 101, or 999 in an emergency.

“As your Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner, I am the voice of Cumbrian residents to raise issues or concerns in respect of Policing and Fire – I am your voice.

“If any member of the public has a concern around rural crime or around the Constabulary or Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service, please raise it with me at commissioner@cumbria-pcc.gov.uk or call 01768 217734.”