Kent Police: Unison blames staff shortage for unanswered 101 calls

Nearly 40% of 101 calls to Kent Police went unanswered throughout 2022

Nearly 40% of 101 calls to Kent Police went unanswered over an eight month period, according to a report.

According to the document being considered by Kent's Police and Crime Panel on Wednesday, only 61.23% were answered from April to November in 2022, compared with 90% in 2019.

Unions are blaming a recruitment crisis caused by low pay.

Kent Police said it had recruited more staff and reduced the number of unanswered calls since November.

The Home Office said police forces were receiving nearly £300m more in this year's financial settlement.

The 101 line is used for reporting non-emergencies, with 999 emergency calls given priority.

"In the last 12 months 90 people have left the control room," said Ian Pointon, branch secretary of Unison at Kent Police.

"That's 28% of the establishment figure, of which we know there are vacancies upon that.

"They have massive amounts of responsibility and accountability and, frankly, we just don't pay enough for that job.

"I do hear stories of people who work for Kent Police using food banks."

'Increased pay'

Ch Supt Mark Nottage of Kent Police said 35 front line officers have been drafted in to answer calls, with the number of unanswered calls since November down to 14%.

He said: "We recruited 32 officers in December. We've increased the pay recently, officers can earn £23,000, that will increase with the shift allowance, up to £27,000."

Kent's Police and Crime Commissioner, Matthew Scott, is proposing to increase his share of council tax by £15 per property in 2023/24, the maximum allowed without a referendum, a move he says is needed to maintain services.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "Individual police forces are responsible for ensuring 101 calls are answered and police staff pay is set by the independent Police Remuneration Review Body.

"We've increased the police funding settlement of up to £17.2bn in 2023/24, an increase of up to £287m when compared to the previous year, to ensure forces have the resources they need to keep our communities safe."

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