Police in Cumbria is started 2020 with a week of action tackling crimes the public cares the most about.

In Carlisle, officers targeted antisocial behaviour, drink driving, city centre night time economy issues such as drink and drug abuse and violence.

Police officers in Carlisle joined the British Transport Police for a highly visible operation at Carlisle Railway Station to proactively tackle knife crime, while educating members of the public about some of the methods the police have at their disposal.

Officers in the city also took heed of the public’s calls for more action to be taken against those distracted at the wheel with five drivers in Carlisle caught on Wednesday morning and issued with Fixed Penalty Notices for using their phone while driving.

In the afternoon, officers carried out speed checks at locations on the outskirts of the city – including some specially chosen by people of the Carlisle focus Facebook page – in areas such as School Road, London Road and Sewell Lane.

At the weekend officers ran operation optical in Carlisle and Longtown with the assistance of passive police drugs dogs PD Millie and PD Frank.

The dogs helped officers located small quantities of Class A and Class B drugs.

At the request of further educational premises passive dogs were also put to work as students travelled to and from their college. There were two indications with one older student being given a cannabis warning.

Superintendent for North Cumbria, Matt Kennerley, said: “The Knife Arch operation was well-received and we were pleased to see that, of the more than 300 people who passed through the arch, none were found to be carrying weapons.

“In conjunction with our regular knife amnesties, we will continue to be proactive about knife crime in our on-going efforts to prevent the spread of crime trends which have impacted other cities spreading to Carlisle.

“We will continue to listen to the public about their priorities and I can assure people these types of proactive activities are not one-offs. While we’ve badged this past week as a Week of Action, we will be carrying out such work all year round."

Temporary Chief Superintendent Rob O’Connor said: “Our officers work 365 days a year to help keep people safe and this past week we opened our doors to shine a light on unseen policing which the majority of people are unaware of.

“From dawn drug raids to distracted drivers, our officers have been busy across the county this past week, tackling issues that local communities have told us are important to them.

“But I can assure people this is not a one-off. This type of activity is going on every day – and will continue to do so.

“I can promise the public our officers will continue to work diligently – often alongside colleagues from partner agencies, both in the emergency services and beyond – to tackle community issues, arrest criminals and keep Cumbria one of the safest places in the country to live, work and visit.”