Commissioner Grunshaw scrutinises 'improving' force control room performance

The time taken to answer calls for service is an area of high public concern, and whilst Lancashire Constabulary compares favourably to other forces nationally, the Commissioner wanted to understand what action was being taken to improve the service to the public locally and to reduce wait times, particularly on 101.

On average in 2024, Lancashire Constabulary receive 838 999 calls, 1,389 101 calls and between 55-60 online crime reports every day.

Throughout 2024, performance within the Force Control Room has increased significantly, alongside the time taken by officers to arrive on scene at incidents.

Commissioner Grunshaw welcomed news that between January 2024 to mid-November 2024, 94.4% of calls to 999 were answered within 10 seconds, with an abandonment rate of 0.2%. At the same time, 93% of calls to the non-emergency 101 number were answered by Lancashire Constabulary within 40 seconds, with a 1.4% abandonment rate.

Lancashire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw said: “Accountability Board Meetings are where I hold the Chief Constable to account for the delivery of policing in Lancashire.

“As the public’s voice in policing, it is important that I raise the issues that matter most to people, and for most people Force Control Rooms are the first point of contact with the police when they have a problem.

“The public expect a range of ways to contact the police and rightly demand high levels of customer service. When services fall short it has a direct impact on public trust and confidence and therefore it’s encouraging to hear that callers are waiting less time across all calls for someone to answer and I’m pleased to see a renewed focus on online reporting to ensure people have channel choice.

“The Constabulary has a real focus on early resolution of issues at the first point of contact and identifying those at risk of greatest harm, whatever contact channel they use. I am satisfied the force is ensuring an appropriate response and deploying frontline resources where necessary.

“These meetings enable me to really get under the skin of policing in the county, look at what is going well, where we can do more and also how we can build on the imminent HMICFRS inspection results. ”

Chief Constable Sacha Hatchett said: “We have seen a marked improvement in both 999 and 101 service to the public, which is testament to the hard work and dedication of my officers and staff.

“Force Control Rooms handle a huge volume of contact from the public and the complexity of that contact is increasing. Add to this online contact as well as social media conversations and the challenges are clear.

“Those who work within the Force Control Room, really are on the frontline of policing and handle thousands of calls from the public, around the clock, every single day, both efficiently and empathetically, and I am proud of the service they deliver to the public of Lancashire.

“Whilst we always want to do more, we’ve made significant changes to the force operating model, deployed better technology and improved our processes. I hope the public are reassured that if they call us, we will be there when they need us. “