Cumbria Community Foundation - Furness: Opportunities and Challenges 2021

F U R N E S S – O P P O R T U N I T I E S & C H A L L E N G E S 34 Indeed, the most recent data 1 shows that Furness residents are half as likely to be burgled as residents of England as a whole. Vehicle crime is notably low with only 1.1 incidents per 1,000 population (England average: 6.0). The same is true of robberies at 0.3 incidents per 1,000 (England: 1.1). Complaints about anti-social behaviour are also below the national average. Two areas give cause for concern, however. The incidence of violent crime – including sexual crimes – is relatively high at 37.8 per 1,000 (England average: 29.9) as is criminal damage at 9.4 per 1,000 (England: 7.8). Taken overall, the annual crime rate for Furness of 96.7 incidents per 1,000 population comes in below the national average of 101.9 per 1,000. Dig a little deeper and, as might be expected, rural areas fare better than urban areas. In rural High Furness, crime rates are below average for every category of offence. 1 Police UK data Dec 19 to Nov 20 2 Police UK data Feb 20 to Jan 21 3 Home Office Conversely, Barrow has the highest crime rate in Cumbria 2 after Carlisle. Incidences of anti-social behaviour, bicycle theft, criminal damage and arson, drugs offences, possession of weapons, public order offences, robbery and shoplifting are all above the average for Cumbria as a whole. Within Barrow, the town centre wards of Central and Hindpool are crime hotspots. This is largely due to high levels of anti-social behaviour, which is typically more prevalent in town centres where people congregate to drink and socialise. Hate crime statistics 3 are collated on a force-wide basis and show an upward trajectory from 206 reported cases in 2012-13 to 674 in 2019-20. Barrow has made good progress in tackling an historical problem of drug abuse. The latest statistics for drugs offences² show an annual rate of 2.6 per 1,000 population, still above the county average but below the national figure (3.1 per 1,000). The town came under intense media scrutiny following the deaths of 12 people between December 2017 and April 2018 as a result of taking class-A drugs. Barrow Drugs Deaths Response Group was set up in the wake of these deaths. It introduced measures such as service referrals and drugs that help reverse opioid overdoses. A report in 2019 by Lesley Graham, public health manager for Barrow, found the group’s work had made a difference and pointed to a “marked slowdown” in the number of deaths. O P P O R T U N I T I E S n With relatively low levels of burglary and vehicle crime, the wider Furness area is a safe place to live, work and visit. n Barrow’s success in tackling problems of drug abuse is an opportunity to build on. Challenges: n Addressing relatively high levels of violent crime and criminal damage in Low Furness/Barrow. n Working with local communities to drive down crime rates in Barrow, in particular high levels of anti-social behaviour in town centre wards. n Supporting victims of crime. Crime The statistics show that Furness is a safe place to live and work.