Avon and Somerset police chief blames call delays on increased demand

Chief constable Sarah Crew She said despite continuous recruitment, the force has not been operating at full capacity

A police chief has blamed delays in answering emergency calls on understaffing, rising demand and pocket dials.

Avon and Somerset Police has seen an increase in calls in the last year, causing longer delays.

The police and crime commissioner (PCC) pressed the force for an explanation during a review.

Police advised anyone who had called 999 accidentally to stay on the line rather than hang up immediately.

The force said four in five 999 calls were answered within a target of 10 seconds, and it had seen an increase in people abandoning 101 calls after waiting too long for an answer.

Pocket dials

Chief constable Sarah Crew said: "It's very important that we do everything in our power to make sure that contact is as effective as possible."

The force also said that pocket dials - when the number is accidentally called - were causing issues for staff.

"When you accidentally call, the natural reaction is to stop the call. But that actually causes more work for us because we do need to satisfy ourselves that that wasn't a genuine call.

"We do take some time then to try and find the owner of that phone and check they're OK", Ms Crew added.

Police advise anybody who has accidentally rang 999 to stay on the line and explain what has happened, rather than immediately hang up.

Over the last 30 days, the police's emergency control room received 86,500 calls, a third of which were 999 calls.

Ms Crew said: "That increased volume of 999 calls is having an impact on the non-emergency 101 number and our ability to answer it in a timely way.

"I know callers are waiting longer than we would like, because we have traditionally been one of the best performers in the country in this area.

She added that despite continuous recruitment, the force has not been operating at full capacity due to people moving on to new positions offering better perks.