Police 999 calls

Avon and Somerset only force answering 90% of calls in 10 seconds, and Humberside at just 2%, Home Office data shows.

“We want the public to have access to the data as part of policing being open and transparent,” he added. Humberside police recorded the worst number, with only 2% of calls answered in under 10 seconds. The Association for Police and Crime Commissioners local policing leads, Alison Hernandez and Jeff Cuthbert, said the data showed “the demand for policing and the volume of calls” across the country.

Avon and Somerset Police is meeting the target to answer 90% of 999 calls in less than 10 seconds.

Avon and Somerset Police took 22,767 calls in a six month period of which 15,434 were answered in less than five seconds, and 5,274 were answered in between five to 10 seconds. Humberside Police had the worst performance with only 2% of 999 calls answered in less than 10 seconds. Home Office data shows Avon and Somerset Police is the only force answering 90% of 999 calls in less than 10 seconds.

Avon and Somerset Police has been named the fastest when answering 999 calls, with an average time of 6.1 seconds.

PCC Mark Shelford said: “Calling 999 can literally be a matter of life and death so I am delighted that Avon and Somerset Police has been identified as a high performing force. This is the first time figures of this sort have been released to the public. Chief Constable, Sarah Crew, said: “I want to congratulate the control room for coming first nationally for speed in answering 999 calls.

Answering times for 999 calls published for the first time, delivering on the commitment in the Beating Crime Plan.

We know one of our biggest areas of concern for 999 calls to the police are prank calls. People will be calling 999 when they are in need of emergency help, together we must ensure that the lines are not being put under pressure through things like prank calls aimed at wasting police time. We want the public to have access to the data as part of policing being open and transparent. The 999 Performance Data is helping policing understand the experience of the public from their point of view from the moment they dial 999. I also understand that some people may be concerned about whether they should be dialling 999 or not and in what circumstances. Prank calls, a lag time in connecting and inappropriate use of 999 to call for issues that are not emergencies, can all contribute to delays in answering. Going forward the data will be released at the end of each month for the previous month. An overall picture of a force’s effectiveness in answering emergency calls, considering these factors, will continue to be refined as the data collection continues. We will learn from this data in order to improve the speed at which 999 calls are answered so that the public can expect the fastest possible response when calling 999. Some police forces are already reviewing their telephony systems and working with BT to resolve this. Calling 999 can literally be a matter of life and death. This is the first time forces have been able to compare their answering times.

JUST 63 per cent of 999 calls to Dorset Police were answered within the 10 second target time, less than the UK average of 71 per cent.

"The Use of Police Powers and Standards Panel, reviews the response to 999 and 101 calls as a standard measure. Home Secretary, Priti Patel, said: “Calling 999 can literally be a matter of life and death. This is the first time forces have been able to compare their answering times. Sixty-three per cent of calls were answered in less than ten seconds, 32 per cent of calls were answered between ten and 60 seconds and five per cent were answered after 60 seconds. Dorset Police took a mean average of 17 seconds to answer the calls and a median average of 8.2 seconds. JUST 63 per cent of 999 calls to Dorset Police were answered within the 10 second target time, less than the UK average of 71 per cent.

Avon and Somerset Police is meeting the target to answer 90% of 999 calls in less than 10 seconds.

Avon and Somerset Police took 22,767 calls in a six month period of which 15,434 were answered in less than five seconds, and 5,274 were answered in between five to 10 seconds. Humberside Police had the worst performance with only 2% of 999 calls answered in less than 10 seconds. Home Office data shows Avon and Somerset Police is the only force answering 90% of 999 calls in less than 10 seconds.

Humberside Police says delays are due to issues with BT operators passing calls to the control room.

"This includes a recruitment drive and a new provision of training for our staff. I'd like to assure the public that we're working incredibly hard to make this happen. "At present, despite representations, this data still includes the whole journey of a 999 call. West Yorkshire Police - 79% answered within 10 seconds target. South Yorkshire Police - 17% answered within 10 seconds target. North Yorkshire Police - 44% answered within 10 seconds target.

Forty-three police forces failed to meet their target over the six months between November 2021 and April 2022.

Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Between 2015 and 2021 it fell by 40 per cent. Humberside Police recorded the worst number, with only 2 per cent of calls answered in under 10 seconds. By clicking ‘Register’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice. By clicking ‘Register’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice. “This is the first time police forces and the public have been able to see the time it takes to answer 999 calls from the call being made by the public, it being connected to the police by BT and local providers, to it being answered by police call handlers.”

When members of the public ring 999 they are initially connected to a BT operator. The new data shows combined statistics from the time BT receives the call to ...

"My message to the public is always call 999 if a serious offence is in progress or has just been committed; if there is a threat to someone’s life, or they are in immediate danger or harm, or if property is in danger of being damaged; or if a serious disruption to the public is likely. Rachel Jones, assistant chief constable of West Mercia Police, said: “Most people only ever contact police on 999 when it as an absolute emergency and in a time of need; the public need to know they can rely on us and have confidence that when they do ring 999 their call is answered as quickly as possible. Without the time delay between the initial BT operator and West Mercia Police, the force's data estimates that 92 per cent of calls are picked up by West Mercia Police within 10 seconds.

POLICE call handlers in Essex are dealing with “worrying” numbers of inappropriate 999 calls as data reveals only one force in the country is meeting call ...

“We’ll also answer a lot of calls that have been abandoned. Only one police force in the UK is meeting a target to answer 90 per cent of 999 calls in under ten seconds, new data has shown. Essex Police one of 43 forces to fail to meet 999 call target

NORTH EAST police forces are among the slowest to respond to 999 calls, new figures suggest. Forces should strive to answer nine in 10 emergency calls ...

She said the public could play a part in helping forces to be as responsive as possible by calling 999 only in an emergency - i.e. when someone is in immediate danger of harm or a crime is in progress. “We are absolutely committed to providing the very best service possible to the communities we serve and have already invested in new technology, which will help ensure we continue to direct our resources to where they are most needed." North East forces had among the highest rate of calls answered after a minute, with Northumbria Police ranking highest in that regard - 16% of callers had to wait longer than that to be answered. Ms Butterfield said recruitment plans and a reserve staff pool would help, adding: “We are investing in a number of measures to make improvements and get calls answered quicker." She said the figures fell “below the standard that our communities deserve" adding that the force is working hard to ensure those in need of help get through quickly. And Durham Constabulary, North Yorkshire Police and Northumbria Police were among the worst performers in England and Wales, according to Home Office data.