North Yorkshire Police has again reduced the amount of time it takes to pick up a 999 call.
Statistics released today show that it now takes six seconds on average to for control room operators to answer the call. It then takes an officer more than 12 minutes on average to reach the scene of an emergency.
North Yorkshire is England’s largest county. According to Google Maps it takes more than an hour by car to cross north to south and more than two hours east to west.
The county’s police force released its response time statistics today as it marks 999 Day which pays tribute to the thousands of people that form the emergency services.
Head of local policing, Chief Superintendent Fiona Willey said: “Today’s national 999 day recognises the continuous commitment and dedication that is shown by our blue light colleagues both here in North Yorkshire and across the country.
“Although our area remains one of the safest places to live, we will not become complacent.
"As a force we will continue to do everything we can to ensure that we provide an exemplary police service to our communities.
“I personally would like to thank all the officers and staff for everything that they do for the force and the wider communities of North Yorkshire. The professionalism and dedication that they deliver daily is nothing short of outstanding.”
Two years ago, North Yorkshire Police was the worst in the country at answering 999 calls.
At the end of January, the outgoing police and crime commissioner Zoe Metcalfe reported that North Yorkshire Police had gone from 45th out of 45 nationally for 999 performance to 25th, as of November 2023, despite receiving 16 per cent more emergency calls than the year before.
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Comparing the force’s performance from December with the same month in 2022, the number of calls answered within ten seconds had improved from 74 per cent to 90 per cent.
The number of 999 calls taking more than a minute to be answered had dropped from four per cent to one per cent.
Today, North Yorkshire Police says the 76,000 emergency calls it has received so far this year have been answered in, on average, six seconds.
It says the first response to an emergency is taking on average 12 minutes and 15 seconds to reach the scene.
Call handlers are trained to reassure the caller while gathering information which they pass to a dispatcher who prioritises incidents and deploying officers and resources.
A police spokesman said: “Day in day out, we send police officers into situations where we are advising members of the public to stay away.
"From people in distress to road traffic collisions, to violent incidents and burglaries in progress, it’s just another day at the office for our frontline teams, who are committed to protecting the public and achieving the very best outcomes for victims of crime.
"They are ready to respond around the clock, not just today on 999 day, but every day and we’re lucky to have them.
"We have hundreds of police officers and staff working hard to keep you safe around the clock.”
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