North Yorkshire 999 Call Answering Improvements

Tuesday, 28 March 2023 06:00

By Matthew Pells

North Yorkshire Police says it has improved the speed with which it answers 999 calls.

Last July just 46 percent of calls were answered within the national target of ten seconds.

A recently published inspection of the force said the way it responds to the public "requires improvement".

Chief Constable - Lisa Winward - says the call time figure has now significantly improved.

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary Fire and Rescue Service carried out a PEEL Inspection of North Yorkshire Police in October last year. The PEEL inspection covers the areas of Effectiveness, Efficiency and Legitimacy across a number of sub-headings.

The report rated North Yorkshire Police as either requiring improvement or inadequate in 5 out of 8 areas, one of the areas that required improvement was "Responding to the Public" and the report highlighted issues around the time it takes to answer calls for service.

North Yorkshire's Chief Constable says the force is working hard to improve the speed at which it answers 999 calls.

Lisa Winward says the number of 999 calls answered in under ten seconds is now at 76 percent, but admits there is more to do

The Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner has already approved £1.85M investment into the Force Control Room to provide new technical systems and new personnel including 36 additional communications officers, 12 additional dispatchers, 6 established trainers and 2 additional police inspectors.

Chief Constable Winward says work to fill those roles is now ongoing, but does take time.

The demand on police control rooms has been steadily increasing across the country with a 16% increase in calls nationwide last year.

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