999 calls to Cleveland Police up by more than 30% since start of covid-19 pandemic
The number of 999 calls received by Cleveland Police has gone up almost 10% over the past year and by more than 30% since the start of the covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
Figures show 116,445 such calls were made by members of the public between April 2022 and March this year, a 9.7% increase on 2021/22 (106,134 calls).
Going back a further 12 months 89,142 emergency calls were received by the force between April 2020 and March 2021.
When the three years are taken together, this represents a 30.6% increase in 999 calls.
Despite the increasing trend, a higher proportion of calls are being answered within ten seconds and average call wait times have fallen.
Between April last year and March this 87.8% of 999 calls were answered within ten seconds with the average call wait time 4.1 seconds.
Both performance indicators have continued to improve over the three year period dating back to April 2020.
Meanwhile, 224,195 non-emergency calls were logged by Cleveland Police in 2022/23, a drop of 2.8% on the previous 12 months.
A total of 67.8% of these calls were answered within two minutes, a year-on-year increase of 5.5%.
The average call wait also fell year-on-year by 13.6% to just under a minute and 54 seconds.
Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner Steve Turner, who included the figures in a report, said he was “pleased to see the improvements that had been made”.
The Conservative PCC previously raised call handling during monthly scrutiny meetings with the force’s senior leaders and plans to fully scrutinise control room performance at least once a year.
Speaking last year he said it was “crucial” the force provided a swift answering service and he had been “persistent” about putting this area of police work under the microscope.
Last May former Redcar and Cleveland Council cabinet member Chris Gallacher likened the Cleveland Police control room to a call centre and said it was “okay if you want to get your gas bill read, but totally inefficient”, although his comments were later dismissed by Mr Turner.