Police to publish call response times on website

One of the largest police forces in the UK today launched a website page where people can view up-to-date 999 and non-emergency call handling statistics.

Greater Manchester Police will display daily response times and percentage of abandoned calls on its website in a bid to boost public confidence in its service.

Based on a car dashboard format, the page entitled "How do we respond to your calls?" features colour-coded graphics which also show the percentage of emergency and priority incidents where officers arrived at the scene within the target time.

The response times are further broken down into each of GMP's 12 divisions so the public can see at a glance how their local officers reacted.

Assistant Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said: "This is about showing people who need our assistance that we want to deliver an excellent service in the way we answer their calls and the way in which our officers respond to them.

"It is important that the people we serve can see how we are actually doing in delivering that promise"

GMP's head of call handling Superintendent Karan Lee, said: "We deal with more than four million calls a year, either via the 999 emergency number of the 0161 872 5050 non-emergency number.

"This new dashboard is designed to be open, accountable and to demonstrate our commitment to delivering an excellent service to the people of Greater Manchester in the way we answer and respond to their calls for assistance.

"As a force we answer our 999 emergency calls within an average time of six seconds. I am acutely aware that some calls take longer to answer and we will continue to strive for further improvements, however I am confident that our response compares favourably with many people's experiences when they call other service providers or public bodies.

"The service also shows how we strive to meet and exceed our targets for attending incidents.

"For instance, we aim to meet our target of attending 90% of emergency calls within 15 minutes and this page will show if we meet that target on any given day.

"We believe this new service will reassure residents that we are doing the best we can to deal with their issues appropriately and swiftly.

"Many people might only have to call GMP once in a lifetime. I hope this new facility gives them the confidence to feel they are likely to get a great service.

"As ever, I would like to reiterate our commitment to offering the best possible service; when a member of the public rings 999 with a genuine emergency it's vital that we have the appropriate resources at hand to ensure a quick and effective response.

"I would ask people to think first before picking up the phone. Please only dial 999 in an emergency, where there is threat to life or property or there is a crime in progress. This way we can focus on the real emergencies.

"People should ring 0161 872 5050 for anything that is not an emergency or to report a crime, and to ring their Neighbourhood Policing Team with any concerns about crime and anti-social behaviour in their local area."

The website page is available on the force's website, gmp.police.uk