PCC Sidwick: ‘Improvements Will Take Time’ as Dorset Police Battles Call Delays
Dorset Police commissioner ‘heartened’ by efforts to improve call response times despite funding strain
Dorset’s Police and Crime Commissioner, David Sidwick, has said he is “heartened” by the investment being made to improve call-handling times in the county’s police control room, despite ongoing pressures caused by staffing shortages and rising demand.
Speaking at this week’s Police and Crime Panel, Sidwick acknowledged that Dorset Police continues to face challenges responding swiftly to both emergency (999) and non-emergency (101) calls.
He attributed much of the strain to high staff turnover and the year-long training process required for new recruits.
PCC Sidwick said: “The force has a clear plan for recruitment and training, but it will take time. We need more people to be hired and more people in training.
“What would help is if we could invest in technology, but there isn’t a technological solution we can afford within the current funding envelope.”
The commissioner explained that an average of 140,000 non-emergency calls are made each year and although 74% are answered within 60 seconds, the remainder - often more complex cases transferred to secondary call handlers - face significant delays.
Over the last quarter, these secondary calls took an average of 23 minutes to be answered.
PCC Sidwick also highlighted the additional burden placed on the control room during the summer months when Dorset’s population swells due to tourism.
The panel heard that in a bid to maintain daily operations, the force must suspend training for around three months the year.
Despite the difficulties, PCC Sidwick said he was encouraged by the steps being taken by the Chief Constable to strengthen the system, stressing that improvements must not come at the expense of 999 call performance.
Training is again expected to be paused next summer due to workload pressures, but the PCC expressed optimism that the situation would improve by 2027.