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• Dial 999 to speak to Gloucestershire Police and someone will answer in a few seconds
• call the non-emergency number, and it might take a couple of minutes to speak to someone
• the message is that Police call handlers are, on average, picking-up much quicker than a year ago, and quicker than some other public bodies

• Supt Anton Campbell, current head of the Constabulary’s control room said, “There has been significant investment and support through a programme of work to make improvements within the department”
• Police and Crime Commissioner Chris Nelson said, “The Constabulary is now quicker at answering 101 non-emergency calls than it has ever been”.

 ‘Ello, ello, ello! It used to be a bone of contention. But now, calls to the police in Gloucestershire are being answered faster than ever before.

Or, at least much quicker than a year ago, when people complained of being kept waiting on the line for so long, they often gave up.

Figures for the year to date, show that 999 calls are consistently being answered in just over six seconds, well within the national guideline.

Calls to the Constabulary’s headquarters on the non-emergency 101 line in May were being answered, on average, within 82 seconds, and have consistently been under two minutes since December. The average waiting time for the same period last year was around six and a half minutes.

Supt Anton Campbell, current head of the Constabulary’s Force Control Room said, “We are constantly reviewing our performance and these figures represent a very pleasing and consistent trend.

“There are a number of reasons for this. Significant investment in the department, both in technology and staff, has made it easier for callers to reach the service they want and has also enabled us to retain more of our experienced call handlers”.

Last month, the police received almost 20,000 calls relating to emergencies and non-emergencies.  With around 15,000 calls so far this month, the total for June is likely to be similar.

The percentage of abandoned calls also shows a downward trend.

Police and Crime Commissioner Chris Nelson said, “The Constabulary is now quicker at answering 101 non-emergency calls than it has ever been. Average waits are now less than two minutes, which compares well with many other public services.

“Telephone call handlers are very much on the front line and their importance to the public, and the way police operate, should never be under-estimated. This has been one of the areas of most concern during the last inspection by His Majesty’s Inspectorate and I congratulate them on the improvements that have been made in performance.  

“However, I would also remind the public that there are other ways to get in touch with the police, like the Single Online Home and Partner Portal system, also online, which will help people get to the right service when the police might not actually be the one they need”.