POLICE in Cumbria are encouraging residents to watch for the signs of domestic abuse and sexual violence as part of a new campaign.

The week-long campaign starting today urges people to come forward and report their concerns.

Officers will be conducting polls on social media to highlight different issues surrounding sexual violence and abuse.

Cumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner Peter McCall said: “What we aim to achieve through this campaign is to ensure people have the confidence to report incidents, and let them know where they can get help.

“When people receive the right type of support at the point of need, they are more likely to take positive steps to recovery.”

Each day this week the police force will be focusing on one particular issue regarding sexual abuse, consent, sexting, personal safety, and victim support.

Specialist officers will be analysing the results from the social media polls to allow them to assess which areas need to be focused on in the long-term.

Detective Superintendent Vicki Ellis said: “Sadly we often see a rise in the number of sexual offence incidents at this time of the year.

“There is no excuse for abuse and that it is why it is important to run such awareness campaigns.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to warn potential offenders to stop and think about the harm that they are doing. Cumbria Constabulary and our partners will not tolerate sexual abuse and offenders will be brought to justice.”

Despite a 40 per cent rise in reports of sexual violence since the beginning of the year, police in Cumbria are confident that this is also due to the fact that victims feel more comfortable to come forward and report crimes involving sexual violence as more reports are being made each week.

Det Supt Ellis added: “Even though some areas of sexual violence are under-reported, every year we see more and more people having the confidence to pick up the phone and report abusive incidents.”

Police are assuring the people of Cumbria that they can report any form of sexual violence in complete confidence and privacy, whether recent or historical.

The campaign is being aimed towards boosting confidence for victims and raising awareness of recognising the signs of abuse.

The campaign runs all week from today up until Sunday. You can contact police by calling 101.