Any complacency in Cumbria over the national terror threat would be "a dereliction of duty", says the man overseeing county crimefighting.

Peter McCall, crime commissioner, added it would be "foolish" not to monitor any potential threats in the belief the county would not be a target.

He was speaking after revealing he and force chiefs were aiming to claw back a near £1m black hole in Cumbria's crimefighting budget.

This was partly caused by extra armed patrols launched in the wake of the national terror attacks earlier this year.

Camps suspected of being linked to training for extremist activity have been held in rural Cumbria in the past.

Mr McCall, a former army officer, drew on this and his own previous experience as he spoke on the issue.

He said: "There is a balance here between scare stories and frightening people and careful management.

"I've been in this business of security for a long time.

"One thing I know about terrorism and this type of activity is it's not predictable.

"You should always expect the unexpected.

"If you wander off and leave the doors open, don't be surprised somebody sees it as an easy target.

"We should always be very careful."

Mr McCall also mentioned other factors - and why the force needed to be wary.

"There has been terrorist activity here in the past," he added.

"We have open borders along the west coast.

"In general, it would be foolish not to be constantly monitoring any activity.

"It would be a dereliction of duty if we weren't making sure."

The armed patrols were carried out on high streets and at major events.

Officers with guns were seen at a number of high-profile dates in the county social calendar, particularly over the summer.

At Carlisle, these included the Cumberland Show, Race for Life and a number of pop concerts.

Armed officers were also seen at Appleby Horse Fair and Cartmel Races - as well as on the streets of places including Barrow town centre.

Chief Constable Jerry Graham - the county's top officer - warned in the summer that there was no end to the terror threat in sight.

He said people should get used to armed officers on the county's streets.

Mr McCall says he is determined not to cut officer numbers and will resist moves to dip into reserves in the bank to plug the finance gap.

He added: "The terrorist incidents in London and Manchester meant increased overtime across the country.

"These events that happened further south affected us too.

"You can't say it wouldn't ever happen here. We do have to take precautions."