PEOPLE phoning West Midlands Police over the New Year period had their calls answered in some of the quickest times in the country.
Data revealed by the police show that even during what is traditionally one of the busiest periods for policing those contacting the force are being served by the top performing metropolitan force in the country for emergency and non-emergency calls.
Throughout the new year period all calls to 999 and 101 were answered on average within five seconds.
For the period between 10pm on New Year’s Eve and 4am on New Year’s Day, the average time to answer a 999 call was just one second, while 101 calls were answered on average within four seconds.
Assistant Chief Constable Matt Welsted, who is responsible for WMP’s Force Contact, said: “These new figures show we are on the right track when it comes to delivering the best service possible to the public.
“A 100 per cent rate like this is almost unheard of among similar-sized police forces, especially during such a busy time of year.
“This outstanding service the public are receiving is testament to the professionalism and dedication of our staff in Force Contact, who are ready round the clock to respond to a range of incidents.
“Getting the basics right, like answering calls quickly and effectively, helps our officers arrive earlier at crime scenes, arrest suspects and begin investigating sooner.”
Data released in December showed that West Midlands Police is the top performing metropolitan police force in the UK for answering emergency and non-emergency calls.
The force answer 96 per cent of 999 calls within 10 seconds and 99 per cent of 101 calls within eight seconds.
This performance is despite it receiving one of the highest call volumes of any other force.
Head of Force Contact Chief Superintendent Ian Parnell said: “Alongside our fantastic staff who answer calls for service, we have invested in cutting edge technology, better understanding the purpose of 101 calls and signposting callers to the right solution to meet their need.
“What we are now seeing is sustained outstanding service to the public, even during the busiest periods.”
All forces publish their 999 performance and on this measure alone WMP is the second fastest force at answering 999 calls.
