Cumbria Constabulary and the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) have teamed up to create Country Watch West – a scheme that will specifically tackle farm based crime.
Launched today (15 May), Country Watch West has taken inspiration from the successful Country Watch Eden crime prevention initiative which was created back in 2015 to tackle the persistent problem of sheep theft in eastern Cumbria.
The initiative will begin life by sharing intelligence about rural crime with farmers on social media site Facebook - via the Country Watch West page.
NFU Cumbria County Adviser Helen Forrester said: “Crime prevention information, suspicious sightings and appeals for information will all be found on the new Facebook page. We’ll then progress to organising nights of action when farmers join police officers patrolling rural West Cumbria after dark.”
The power of social media
The new initiative is being supported by Cumbria Constabulary’s Superintendent Gary Slater.
He said: “We see this as an excellent opportunity to engage with the public to report suspicious activity in the rural areas within West Cumbria.
“It could be suspicious vehicles or people seen in suspicious circumstances or concerns over sheep worrying, which can be a particular issue at this time of year.
“Our Police Officers and Police Community Support Officers (PCSO) can access the Facebook pages on their mobile devices when they are on patrol and update members of the public immediately using this social media format.”
Country Watch West will cover the Policing Areas of Allerdale Borough and Rural, alongside Copeland Borough and Rural – reaching the towns of Cockermouth, Keswick, Silloth, Wigton, Aspatria, Workington, Maryport, Whitehaven, Egremont, Cleator Moor and Millom and all points in between.
