999 call answering and Officer Verification Figures
9.6.22
PCC challenges Chief Constable about 999 response times and hears of the success of the officer verification process.
Kent’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Matthew Scott, asked the Chief Constable of Kent Police about a new national league table, in which Kent ranked 33rd out of 43 for the time it takes to answer emergency calls.
The government put together the table, to encourage forces to answer 999 calls within ten seconds. Nationally 71% of calls are answered in that time frame, in Kent 67% are answered within ten seconds.
Today Mr Scott asked Alan Pughsley if he was satisfied with that,
“The government has published National 999 Performance League Tables, are you satisfied with the force’s response times as things stand?”
Mr Pughsley responded,
“Yes, in the main, although I share the frustration. The problem with any centrally owned data is that it is a little out of date by the time it is published and therefore sometimes context is missing.
We’ve had a really good practice in the past of, when the 9s go up, taking people away from non-emergency and putting them on 999s; then when the peak is over, they go back to non-emergency. I just want to make sure that is happening as seamlessly as it has done in the past.”
The exchange happened at the PCC’s quarterly Performance and Delivery Board, where the PCC holds the Chief to account.
Matthew Scott also asked about the Force’s new Violence Against Women strategy. The Chief said that since its inception in October, 70 verification checks on officers have been carried out.
Verification checks allow a member of the public to ask the police officer to call force control room, to verify they are who they say they are.
The Chief Constable, Alan Pughsley, told Matthew Scott, “I don’t want this to be missed Commissioner, because this is pretty different and pretty new.
I wanted to know more about these cases and in the main these are victims of domestic abuse who’ve been visited by one of my detectives. If you think about it sensibly, the officers come in an unmarked car, they’re in plain clothes and the victim is very scared.
Therefore the verification checks are working and I think they are really really important. I’m sure they’ll grow if we continue to publicize it. It’s been really good.”
Matthew Scott agreed, “This is really good practice and its fantastic to see this being taken up, especially in the circumstances you describe. I hope victims will continue to use it and you should share this good example nationwide.”
ENDS
NOTE TO EDITORS:
The PCC holds the Chief Constable to account at the Quarterly Performance and Delivery board.
You can watch clips of the meeting on our YouTube Channel.