Latest news with #CumbriaConstabulary
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Woman in custody for blowing three times drink-drive limit in Carlisle
A WOMAN is in custody after blowing three times the drink-drive limit in Carlisle. Police stopped the woman in Carlisle this afternoon (Monday, July 28). A spokesperson said: 'She's now in custody and faces a driving ban of at least a year.' The work is part of Operation Spotlight that has been running throughout July. READ MORE: Police seize uninsured off-road bike 'tearing through' Carlisle road The campaign tackles the 'Fatal Four' - speeding, using a mobile phone at the wheel, not wearing a seatbelt and driving under the influence of drink and/or drugs. Inspector Jack Stabler of Cumbria Constabulary leads the Roads Policing Unit and is Chair of Cumbria Road Safety Partnership. He said: 'Our officers are on the roads 365 days a year, targeting dangerous driver behaviour. 'However, Operation Spotlight gives us the opportunity to shine a light on the most dangerous factors which can result in deaths and serious injuries on our roads. 'I urge everyone to analyse their own driving behaviours and those of their passengers and loved ones. By taking a critical look at our own behaviour and the behaviour of those around us, we can save lives.'
Times
20-07-2025
- Times
Travelling tabby ‘catnapped and dumped across border as punishment'
Harvey has always been an intrepid cat, known to spend his week roaming around the farms and cottages of Cumbria before returning to the bed and breakfast he calls home. But when his tracking device suddenly placed him more than 50 miles away, in a different country, his owner started to suspect something was amiss. Anne Cornthwaite, 61, from Borrowdale, has reported a local man to police for alleged catnapping. She claims that Alan, a neighbour, confessed to taking Harvey over the border to Scotland because of the tabby cat's supposed violent tendencies and disregard for personal property. 'The police asked me, do you want to report it as theft or animal abuse. I said both,' Cornthwaite said. The neighbour did not respond to a request for comment. Cumbria Constabulary was contacted for comment.
Business Wire
17-07-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Mark43 Expands UK Presence with New Manchester Office
MANCHESTER, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mark43, the leading platform for intelligent policing operations, today announced the opening of a new office at 24 Mount Street, Manchester, M2 3NX, further solidifying its investment in the UK and commitment to supporting police forces with modern, resilient, and easy-to-use technology. The new office will serve as a regional hub for Mark43's UK operations, bringing the company closer to the frontline police forces it serves and enabling deeper collaboration with its ecosystem of UK partners. Following its partnership with Cumbria Constabulary, Mark43 continues to expand its work with other forces across the UK. This announcement comes on the heels of a successful Mark43-hosted DDaT Forum in London earlier this month, attended by more than one-third of the country's police forces, representatives from government agencies and policing leaders. It also follows the appointment of Matt Polega, Co-Founder and President of Mark43, as the Managing Director UK, as well as a recent hiring spree of UK-based talent. 'We're proud to be firmly rooted in the UK, and our growing presence reflects our long-term commitment to supporting police forces nationwide,' said Mark43 CEO Bob Hughes. 'Manchester gives our UK team and expanding partner ecosystem a hub to drive innovation and delivery. From faster, more accurate report writing to smarter, real-time operational tools, we're committed to helping forces serve their communities with greater efficiency and impact.' 'I'm thrilled to be leading our efforts on the ground as we continue to grow our UK-based team and a rapidly expanding partner ecosystem,' said Matt Polega, Mark43 Co-Founder, President and Managing Director UK. 'We're incredibly excited to build on this momentum and chart the path forward together in the digital transformation of UK public safety, and we're committed to being a trusted partner every step of the way.' 'Mark43's decision to choose Greater Manchester for its UK expansion is excellent news," said Joseph Beaden, Head of Creative, Digital and Tech at MIDAS. 'Our city-region's advanced digital infrastructure, collaborative business environment, and deep talent pool make it the ideal location for innovative companies to scale. Mark43 is a great example of a growing SME delivering practical, tech-driven solutions that enhance frontline public services and improve outcomes for our residents.' Mark43 provides police forces with a platform for public safety operations, including Records Management (RMS), Command and Control, advanced analytics and AI capabilities that enables real-time situational awareness, streamlined report writing, and actionable insights. These capabilities support police forces in responding faster, managing resources more effectively, and making data-driven decisions that improve safety outcomes for communities. Mark43's public safety platform is designed to reduce administrative burden, improve interoperability, and enhance officer wellbeing. Built on a true-cloud foundation with open, well-documented APIs, the platform fosters seamless data-sharing across forces to break down silos and improve collaboration. Its agile, scalable architecture allows for rapid upgrades and continuous delivery of new features, ensuring operational stability and modern functionality without costly delays. With a proven record of predictable, fast, cost-effective implementations, Mark43 avoids budget overruns while delivering measurable value. Mark43 is empowering UK forces with modern tools that strengthen intelligence capabilities and ultimately enhance community safety outcomes. To learn more, visit .
Business Wire
15-07-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Mark43 Co-Founder and President Matt Polega Appointed Managing Director UK to Lead Regional Expansion
MANCHESTER, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mark43, the leading platform for intelligent policing operations, today announced the appointment of its Co-Founder and President Matt Polega as Managing Director UK. Polega is relocating to the UK to lead on-the-ground operations. This strategic move underscores Mark43's commitment to delivering innovative policing technology across the UK. 'As one of our co-founders, Matt has made an impact across every team at Mark43,' said Bob Hughes, CEO of Mark43. 'His leadership in delivering for our first UK customer, Cumbria Constabulary, has laid the foundation for long-term success and strong product-market fit in the region. His move comes at a pivotal moment in Mark43's growth, reinforcing our commitment to UK policing and our growing partner ecosystem. The demand for modern technology in policing is clear, and we're uniquely positioned to meet it as a trusted partner. We're thrilled to have Matt leading this essential work.' 'Thirteen years ago, we founded Mark43 to fundamentally transform public safety operations through modern technology,' said Matt Polega, Co-Founder, President, and Managing Director UK. 'Expanding that mission to the UK is a personal and professional milestone. I'm committed to supporting UK forces in meeting today's and tomorrow's policing challenges with the same innovation, partnership, and operational excellence that have defined Mark43 since day one.' 'Matt's appointment underscores Mark43's commitment to supporting UK police forces,' said Sir George Hamilton, former Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland and Strategic Policing Advisor to Mark43. 'As a co-founder, Matt has been with Mark43 since day one, helping shape its mission and growth from the ground up. The company has already demonstrated its value through a successful deployment with Cumbria Constabulary, and under Matt's leadership, it is well-placed to continue delivering meaningful results as forces modernize to meet the evolving challenges of UK community safety.' This announcement follows a successful DDaT Forum hosted by Mark43 in London, which brought together over one-third of the country's police forces, alongside government representatives and senior policing leaders. It also follows the rapid expansion of Mark43's UK-based team, welcoming the brightest minds in engineering, customer success and implementation to innovate and accelerate delivery for UK policing. 'Over a decade ago, we launched our first Mark43 customer, the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C. It's been incredibly rewarding to see the impact of our technology benefitting police forces across the U.S. I'm thrilled to bring that experience to the UK,' said Polega. 'I look forward to continue partnering with UK forces to meet their evolving needs, strengthen collaboration and drive impact through our cloud-native technology.' Polega will continue to serve as Co-Founder, President, and Head of Marketing, Communications, and Enablement at Mark43. As Managing Director UK, Polega will be responsible for Mark43's operational excellence, strategic growth, partnerships and customer delivery throughout the region, reinforcing Mark43's role as the leading technology partner for police forces across the UK. To learn more, visit .
BBC News
03-07-2025
- BBC News
Cumbria police officer's 'predatory' messages show 'no change'
"Predatory" messages sent by a male police officer to female colleagues over seven years show "nothing has changed" in policing, an expert has this month, a misconduct panel ruled Rickie Wallbank would have been sacked for gross misconduct from his job as a police constable for Cumbria Constabulary, had he not resigned before the Cunningham, an expert in women in policing, said the messages, which reference sex acts and role play with handcuffs, were "disturbing" and showed a continuing "systemic pattern of misogyny".Cumbria Constabulary said it had acted "immediately" when the report was made and it had taken steps to make its working environment safer for women. The panel also found an allegation that Mr Wallbank placed his hands under a colleague's skirt at another colleague's wedding - which he had strongly denied - to have been the misconduct hearing held last month, just one message exchange was read out - the one in which Mr Wallbank admitted touching his force confirmed the incident was criminally investigated, but it did not meet the threshold for prosecution in the courts. 'Red flags' A request by the BBC that Cumbria Constabulary published all the messages sent by Mr Wallbank to his colleagues was force said the decision was to avoid compromising the anonymity of it published a report containing chunks of 22 different messages sent to the female officers between 2016 and them, Mr Wallbank used foul language to express sexual interest in them and some of the messages are too graphic to be read: "Would I get away with sneaky boobs feel too? I would love a play with them."In another he told a colleague: "I was gona pin you down in handcuffs too!!!"Another said: "I wish I could be with you wen taking your kit off!!!" Dr Cunningham, a senior lecturer at the University of East London, is also the author of the book Women in Policing, in which she researched misogyny suffered by female officers in the said the case was part of a larger pattern, with "red flags" around "predatory behaviour" also seen in the rape and murder of Sarah Everard by off-duty Met police officer Wayne Couzens, and the offences of serial rapist David Carrick, who was also an officer."This case is sending out a message that nothing has changed, the police still require outside experts in the field of violence against women and girls in order to take these offences seriously and to send a clear message to all officers," Dr Cunningham Constabulary said the force was "not complacent" and it would highlight the case internally "to ensure that every and all points of learning are taken".A spokesperson added it had introduced a "prevent officer" role within its anti-corruption unit."This officer works to break down barriers to reporting inappropriate and unacceptable behaviour and promoting the challenging of such behaviour so that action can be taken at an early stage." Harm to police reputation The police report into Mr Wallbank's misconduct said one of the aggravating factors in his wrongdoing was that his behaviour had been "regular, repeated or sustained" and that it targeted multiple victims."The panel considered that the proven conduct was predatory, unwanted and highly inappropriate," it report said the 37-year-old's behaviour had caused "very serious" harm to the reputation of the police service and was "highly likely" to undermine public confidence in Wallbank's actions came to light in February 2023, when a group of female officers went for a weekend in the Lake resigned in July 2024, before he could face the allegations.A force spokesperson said senior officers considered releasing further messages together with its legal department, after the BBC's request."A decision has been made not to release [anything] further on the grounds we do not wish to risk compromising the anonymity of witnesses (recipients of the messages)." Rise in cases A Freedom of Information (FOI) request by the BBC showed that in the five years to April 2023, police forces in England and Wales spent about £32.4m paying wages to officers and staff who were suspended while awaiting the outcome of misconduct proceedings of any the 12 months to April 2023, about 706 police workers were suspended, with 432 either being dismissed or resigning before facing a number of suspensions and dismissals more than doubled in the five length of investigations recorded by forces varied hugely across England and Wales, with the longest investigation concluded that year taking 393 Cumbria, six police employees were suspended in 2022-23, with three either being dismissed or Constabulary could not provide the figure for the length of its own investigations.A force spokesperson said it complied with all the relevant regulations regarding the suspension of figures are based on data provided fully or partially by 34 out of 43 cases were still under investigation at the time the data was you have been affected by any of the issues in this report, help and support are available at BBC Action Line. 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