Crime in Natland

At the Annual Parish Meeting held this week Sergeant Stephens of the Rural Policing Team spoke about the crimes that have been committed in Natland and nearby in the last year or so.

• Ten of these involved anti-social behaviour and five of these were youth related incidents. 
• There was a short spate of burglaries from sheds - 4 over 3 days - and the perpetrators of these were not detected. 
• There was just one burglary from a house. 
• The theft of scrap metals is an ongoing problem, particularly from building sites, and copper has been stolen in Natland. 
• There have been five incidents involving damage to property and where these have involved domestic disagreements arrests have been made. 
• There have been two thefts, one of a bicycle. 
• There have been seven assaults, all perpetrated by the same person, and he has been arrested. He was a motor cyclist who was making a habit of slapping people as he went past.

Sergeant Stephens emphasised that really these figures are remarkably low. Cumbria itself has a low crime rate, South Cumbria's is lower still and Natland's lower again. Nevertheless people should be alert to potential dangers and were encouraged to be wary of cold callers, phone and internet scams. There is danger that fuel might be stolen from tanks in rural areas, so people are encouraged to lock their tanks. The importance of the work of the Neighbourhood Watch Group was emphasised in preventing crime.