North Yorkshire Police improves 999 answer time after concerns raised

Inspectors reported concerns about North Yorkshire Police following a visit in October 2022

The time it takes police to answer 999 calls in North Yorkshire has halved after inspectors raised concerns.

It now takes seven seconds on average to answer emergency calls compared to 19 seconds a year ago, the force said.

HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) highlighted issues with staffing and governance at the force in March.

Inspectors said "significant steps" to make improvements at the organisation had since been taken.

Concerns were raised about how quickly calls were answered during the inspection in October 2022.

Police said they had worked to resolve issues.

The average time it takes to answer non-urgent 101 calls had also dropped in the past year, from three minutes 34 seconds to one minute and 49 seconds, despite the number of calls remaining similar.

The organisation said there had also been a "significant improvement" in the amount of time it took officers to arrive at urban and rural incidents.

'Worked relentlessly'

Chief Constable Lisa Winward said the organisation had "worked relentlessly" to improve the service for the public.

HMICFRS inspectors rated the force as inadequate at delivering value for money in the report in March.

They also raised concerns about governance.

The force has since created a workforce plan to predict areas where more staff will be needed, inspectors said, following a return visit in July.

It means the the number of investigator posts has increased from 107 to 148 and these will be shared between the criminal investigation department and a new safeguarding investigation team.

In a letter to the force, Michelle Skeer OBE said improved workforce planning meant "we can already see the benefit of this approach in the control room and the improved speed at which the force is answering calls from the public".

She said the cause of concern had now been "discharged".