Live chat creates capacity for 999 calls - police

Ch Insp Jamie Gingell said the live chat service creates capacity for the police to respond to incidents

A police service has introduced a round-the-clock live chat service to create more capacity for officers to respond to 101 and 999 calls.

Essex Police said that last week alone it dealt with more than 450 live chats on top of its normal calls.

It said less than 20% of calls to 999 actually require an immediate emergency response, while under half of such calls require a policing response.

Ch Insp Jamie Gingell said the 24/7 live chat was "aimed at paralleling our 101 call facility".

He said that by directing more non-emergency calls to the live chat service, the force could "make sure we're dealing with the right incidents, with the right resources at the right time".

Ch Insp Gingell added that the live chat facility was "staffed by human beings, not robots" and that the service's 70 staff were trained in how to make decisions about whether inquiries sent to the live chat should be redirected.

"It’s human beings dealing with human beings, using a format that a lot of people already use," he said.

Essex Police said that the move to introduce a live chat service was especially useful during the summer, when it typically sees the number of calls it receives increase.

The force said that any emergencies should still be reported to 999.

Essex Police said that last week it engaged with more than 450 live chats