Town set for start of traditional horse fair
PA MediaTens of thousands of visitors are expected to attend this year's Appleby Horse Fair.
About 10,000 people from the Gypsy and traveller community are likely to attend the annual gathering, together with 30,000 visitors.
Cumbria Police's Det Supt Dan St Quintin said the force was working with partners to make sure "everyone enjoys themselves and stays safe".
"We'll be targeting the criminal minority in every community - whether that's the Gypsy, Roma, traveller community, the local community or visitors - because there's troublemakers in all those communities that come to the fair intent on causing crime or antisocial behaviour," he said.
The force had already made 30 arrests for "low-level offences", Det Supt St Quintin said, mostly for drink and drug driving offences.
He added patrols would be stepped up on Friday and Saturday, when the event was expected to be at its busiest, and he urged people to be cautious when driving to the fair.
"We are expecting lots of slow-moving vehicles, so people do need to take it steady on the roads and be patient," he said.
During the event, police will also be asking people if they would back plans to use facial recognition software cameras to help catch criminals at future fairs.
Det Supt St Quintin said the technology had the potential to have a "profoundly positive impact" on keeping people safe by identifying suspects, as well as vulnerable and missing people.
'Safety message'
The Appleby Horse Fair is one of the biggest events in the Gypsy and traveller calendar.
The community works with the police, council and other agencies year-round to organise the event, improve practices and listen to feedback from residents as part of the Multi Agency Coordinating Group (MASCG).
The group said it had updated its plan to manage traffic during the fair, based on feedback from previous events.
Plans include a reduction of speed limits to 30mph in "heavily pedestrianised" areas, temporary pedestrian guardrails and new footways, as well as increased signage warning people not to jump on and off moving vehicles.
Laura McClellan, Westmorland and Furness Council's traffic management team leader, said: "The improvements to this year's traffic management plan address issues raised over previous years and are intended to make the highway safe for all its users during the fair.
"A particular safety message we're keen to promote at the fair is that pedestrians must not attempt to board, or jump from moving vehicles at any time."
The fair runs until Wednesday and residents and visitors are also encouraged to flag any concerns through the feedback form on the MASCG website.