Devon and Cornwall Police have announced improved call times as part of International Control Room Week.
The week, running from October 21 to 27 highlights the crucial role of control room teams in handling challenging situations.
The police force has been focusing on improving call response times and has shared the progress made in the six months leading up to August 2024.
They reported that 92.7 per cent of 999 calls are now being answered within 10 seconds.
There has also been a significant improvement in non-emergency 101 call response times, with the average wait time now reduced to less than four minutes, a considerable decrease from last year’s average wait time of over 40 minutes.
Dan Thorogood, head of contact services, said: "We’re immensely proud of the work done by our control room staff.
"Every day they embody the best side of humanity; the basic instinct to help other people in need.
"We’re especially pleased with the improvements we’ve made to our call answering times.
"It’s been a challenge, and we still have some way to go, but these figures demonstrate that we’re getting to where we want to be."
In addition to the improvements in call response times, the force has also been opening more public enquiry offices to provide another point of contact for non-emergency enquiries.
Police and crime commissioner Alison Hernandez said: "The public rightly expects the best from their police and I’m delighted with the improvements that have been made.
"I’ve written before about the operational challenge of improving this vital service and it’s right to take this opportunity to congratulate the frontline staff and express my thanks to the stressful and difficult job they do to keep our communities safe 24/7."
This week’s focus is not just on the improvements made, but also on the recognition of the crucial, life-saving work done by control room staff.
Devon and Cornwall Police added that the control room team are the first point of contact for the community, often supporting distressed individuals until officers arrive.
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