Carlisle's new neighbourhood inspector is appealing to the public to help him improve life in their communities by coming forward with intelligence about the people committing crimes.

Andy Hanson has been named as the new area inspector as part of an overhaul of neighbourhood policing across Cumbria.

He says the role will allow him to focus on community policing, improving quality of life for residents across the city.

But he said the police cannot do it alone, and now need to work with the public and various agencies to tackle the issues that matter - and stressed good intelligence would be key to that.

Inspector Hanson said: "One of the biggest things people can do to help is community intelligence. At the moment we don't get massive amounts of this.

"If there are things going on in their communities, from low level antisocial behaviour through to high level criminality, there are people in communities that know about it.

"We need them to tell us. There are so many ways now that people can contact us - anonymous tips on Crimestoppers, speaking to a PCSO, using the 101 emails, whatever they feel comfortable with.

"They are the ones that are there and can provide the intelligence for us to act on. Give us good quality intelligence - times, vehicles etc."

Inspector Hanson is not new to this role, having previously worked in a similar position a few years back before things changed.

He explained: "In 2015 we changed to a new structure which effectively removed neighbourhood inspectors. We are now going full circle.

"That isn't a dig at the force. We did it for budgetary reasons. We were expecting huge cuts."

He said now, with more funding available, they have looked again at the local policing structure.

"Having reviewed the situation, the force has realised that neighbourhoods get a better service when we have got a neighbourhood lead. They've recognised that communities need a face," he said.

Inspector Hanson has been an inspector for 17 years, including 15 years in Carlisle, so he knows the local area well.

He said that being back in a neighbourhood role means he can give more focus to the issues that matter to communities.

His area covers the Carlisle City Council footprint, including the city, Brampton, Longtown, Dalston and Burgh by Sands.

He added that as well as working with the public, they will also be working with other agencies as part of a new approach.

"A lot of my focus is now going to be on multi-agency work. We want to make our communities better places to live in but we recognise that we can't do that alone," he explained.

"A big part of my role is therefore going to be on managing a police and partnership response to community issues."

Part of this is already being set in place via a new multi-agency hub that's been set up at Carlisle's Civic Centre.

That sees police officers working alongside council staff and others on a daily basis, responding to problems from different angles.

"We are really still in transition but it's basically cops working in an office with people from environmental health, parks and green spaces, city centre managers and areas like licensing.

"We also aim to prong other partners on board, housing associations, mental health and public health. We are still quite far away from that, but that's what we are looking at.

"My role will be to facilitate that," he explained.

Inspector Hanson used noise issues as an example of a problem that really affects a neighbours but is not just a police matter.

At present it may be reported to the police, but would need to be passed on to other agencies via a fragmented system. The new approach aims to bring down the barriers by working together from the off.

"It can be anything from very minor antisocial behaviour to significant crime, dealing with offenders to safeguarding victims.

"The big things that people want us to look are usually antisocial behaviour, from youth disorder to neighbourhood disputes and antisocial driving. They just want a decent quality of life," he said.

Insp Hanson added that in Carlisle he is also keen to tackle 'vulnerability issues', helping people address issues such as drug use and risk taking behaviour by signposting them to other services.

He said they also want to do more to help people with mental health issues and continue to tackle domestic violence.

*To provide intelligence to the Carlisle police team call 101, email 101@cumbria.police.uk, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Alternatively speak directly to a local officer.