By Linzi Watson

Last updated 05:39, Friday, 04 July 2008

RESIDENTS of Brampton, Longtown and the surrounding area can expect to see more police on the beat this summer as officers launch a new campaign to cut down on paperwork.

Inspector David Coates: Cut back on the amount of paperwork

It comes in response to the annual summer increase in crime levels in rural areas.

Inspector David Coates said that more will be done to ensure officers are out on the streets, not tied to desks because of paperwork.

He said: “During the months of July and August there is an increase in crime.

“This can be because there are more people coming into the area.

“The school holidays also mean that there are more people out and about.

“And with the decent weather there are more people drinking and this is reflected in the types of offences; people also drink more throughout the day.”

Inspector Coates added that the local policing team deal with more thefts including thefts from cars, adding: “Items such as laptops and satellite navigation systems are easy targets and I would urge people not to leave them in their cars.

“We also see a substantial increase in the number of thefts of garden ornaments and troughs.

“We will look at what is happening and where and tackle these in the next two months.

“This will involve getting more officers out of the station and onto the streets.”

He explained: “We have cut back on the amount of paperwork we have to do.”

He said the recent reintroduction of CID to Brampton Police Station has also lightened the heavy workload for local officers.

It is hoped the increased police presence will reduce the fear of crime which the inspector added is often not representative of actual crime levels.

“Despite five years of declining crime and over the past two years decline in violent crime [in the wider Brampton area] there is still a fear.

“Our intent is to try to provide a more visible police presence as a form of reassurance.

“Often local people’s fears of crime are not a reflection of the actual occurrence of crime in a rural area.”

During the summer local officers will also be out on more vehicle patrols.

Inspector Coates added: “During the months of July and August there will also be two operations which will see increased motor patrols on the roads going into and out of the rural Brampton area. We will be stopping and checking vehicles and individuals.”