Anger as 999 calls 'directed to Scotland'
Emergency 999 calls to the police in the Black Country and Staffordshire are being transferred to call centres in other parts of the country, it was alleged today.
Emergency 999 calls to the police in the Black Country and Staffordshire are being transferred to call centres in other parts of the country, it was alleged today.
Victims of crime in the Black Country have also been kept hanging on the line when reporting non-emergency matters using West Midlands Police's 0845 113 5000 number, it is claimed. It has sparked concerns about response times. There are also fears people could stop reporting incidents because they can not get through to their local stations.
In one case a man had a brick thrown at his head in Cotwall End Road, Sedgley, and it took the police four hours to respond, a councillor said today.
Gornal councillor Anne Millward said she also rang 999 when a group of yobs walked over the roofs of a row of parked cars in Barr Street, Lower Gornal.
She was put through to a call centre in Scotland where the operator had not even heard of Dudley.
"A number of residents in my ward have recounted alarming stories of being unable to contact the police and being transferred to call centres in other parts of the country. There are also many occasions when calls are not being passed on to local police stations," Councillor Millward added.
Councillor Millward will raise her concerns at the full council meeting on December 1 and wants the West Midlands Police Authority to look into the situation.
Chairman of Dudley Council's select committee on community safety, Councillor David Vickers said: "As a former policeman, I can say the system is not satisfactory at present. I believe the police know this but are dragging their heels."
Councillor Les Jones, who sits on the West Midlands Police Authority, said: "There have been a lot of people complaining about access to the police particularly through the 0845 number so there is a real issue here."
West Midlands Police had not responded to a request for a comment on the allegations today.
In nearby Staffordshire the "vast majority" of 999 calls are answered by Staffordshire Police control room staff. A police spokesman said: "However, on occasion, due to the need for emergencies to be answered quickly, calls may be directed to a neighbouring Midlands force."
