Staffs police recruit extra staff after upsurge in calls

The force has seen growing demand across all ten of the local policing areas, with two record breaking days for 999 calls in May.

Staffs Police currently have one of the lowest numbers of call handlers in the country when compared to other police forces with similar demand levels.

But the average answer times for 999 calls has improved significantly year-on-year and bosses say they have been carefully reviewing the force command and control structure to make sure the necessary improvements are made to keep up with unprecedented demand.

A triage function was introduced a year ago to help the force keep up with increasing levels of 101 calls and the hours will be extended. It sees calls signposted to partner agencies, transferred to officers already dealing with the incident or a call back service being offered.

Chief Constable Chris Noble said: “Our contact centre is one of the most important functions of our service and the main contact point between our communities and frontline officers in times of emergency.

“We’ve been undertaking a significant amount of hard work to improve our contact performance over the last 12 months in order to keep up with ever increasing demand, but we also recognise we have to improve and invest effectively if we want to provide the best possible service to victims.

“This investment is a crucial step in the right direction and means we will have extra staff available during the busiest summer peak in demand.

“We are pleased to be investing in this function and continuing to make improvements to both the service we provide to victims and the resources available to the communities we proudly serve.

Staffordshire commissioner for Police, Fire and Rescue and Crime, Ben Adams said: “When people call the police, they expect their calls to be answered quickly and for the police to be able to deal effectively with their issues, which is why improving contact is an absolute priority in my police and crime plan.

“The additional council tax contributed by households across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent this year is enabling investment in additional specialist call handlers to further expand the contact centre.”