Devon and Cornwall’s Police and Crime Commissioner has welcomed a significant improvement in call handling by the force she oversees.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) today discharged Devon & Cornwall Police from concerns about emergency and non-emergency contact.
The inspectorate noted that the force had made sustainable improvements, particularly over the busy summer period.
In August 2024, one of the busiest months, 93.9% of all emergency 999 calls were answered within the national threshold of 10 seconds and 93.4% of other 101 contact (email and digital demand) were answered within 24 hours.
The force was moved in to the ‘engage’ phase of monitoring which provides additional scrutiny on behalf of the public by HMICFRS in October 2022. It identified three key areas where the force needed to make clear and sustained improvements – the management of violent and sexual offenders (MOSOVO); the force’s ability to answer emergency and non-emergency calls and how crime is recorded.
The force was formally discharged from concerns regarding the management of MOSOVO in January. For the recording of crime, it remains in the engage phase, however, the inadequate rating was today lifted by HMICFRS and the inspectorate has placed the force on a more positive rating of ‘requires improvement’ in this area. The force’s own recent audit shows crime recording compliance is being maintained at levels above 90%.
In the 12 months to September 2024 the Commissioner’s office received just five pieces of correspondence related to 101 wait times, compared to around 60 the previous year.
Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez said: “The challenges in dealing with calls to the 101 non-emergency and 999 emergency call lines have been immense and pre-date my first term. Various attempts have been made to tackle this challenge, and significant investment in people and technology has been made over many years. This time strong leadership and a hands-on approach to fixing what was wrong has made the difference. The force’s call handlers continue to work under immense pressure and I know many callers are grateful for their professionalism and expertise.
“There is still work to do to support the force on its improvement journey but I am delighted that the inspectorate has formally recognised the significant improvement in this area, which matters so much to the public we serve and influences public confidence in policing.”
The full HMICFRS report, which can be found on the inspectorate’s website, is due to be discussed at the October meeting of the Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Panel, which is due to meet on Friday, October 4, at Council House, Plymouth. The agenda and papers for the meeting can be found here.