Northamptonshire Police sixth fastest at answering 999 calls – new data reveals

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A new study by Radaris reveals the UK police forces answering phone calls the quickest and slowest.[2]

Research conducted by people search engine, Radaris,[3] analyses the most recent data from the month of November to determine how long UK police forces take to answer emergency phone calls.

Northamptonshire Police[4] are the 6th fastest at answering 999 calls- with a 91.90% response rate they answered 10,159 out of 11,111 calls in November.

Northamptonshire PoliceNorthamptonshire Police
Northamptonshire Police

Data[5] reveals the number of calls and percentages answered under 10 seconds in November 2023.

Police Force Name

Total Calls

% of calls answered under 10 seconds

Calls answered in under 10 seconds

1

Greater Manchester Police

44,491

93.90%

41,798

2

Gwent Police

6,961

93.40%

6,504

3

West Midlands Police[6]

62,207

92.40%

57,506

4

West Yorkshire Police[7]

38,027

92.20%

35,047

5

Lincolnshire Police

8,576

91.90%

7,878

6

Northamptonshire Police

11,111

91.40%

10,159

7

Suffolk Constabulary

9,328

91.40%

8,526

8

Sussex Police

21,953

91.30%

20,033

9

Leicestershire Police

16,750

89.9%

15,065

10

Cheshire Constabulary

12,150

89.80%

10,905

11

Nottinghamshire Police

15,928

89.70%

14,294

12

Norfolk Constabulary

9,947

89.20%

8,869

13

Cumbria Constabulary

5,519

89.10%

4,917

14

Northumbria Police

22,913

88.70%

20,330

15

Lancashire Constabulary

21,757

88.10%

19,169

16

Lancashire Constabulary

21,757

88.10%

19,169

17

Cleveland Police

8,477

87.50%

7,416

18

South Wales Police

17,613

87.40%

15,399

19

Bedfordshire Police

10,082

86.70%

8,741

20

Humberside Police

12,292

86.6%

10,642

21

South Yorkshire Police

21,053

86.6%

18,234

22

Staffordshire Police

17,034

86.50%

14,733

23

Merseyside Police

22,593

86.30%

19,489

24

North Wales Police

8,015

86.20%

6,912

25

Surrey Police

13,208

86.10%

11,377

26

Warwickshire Police

7,837

86%

6,741

27

Police Scotland

57,852

85.60%

49,537

28

Gloucestershire Constabulary

6,969

85.40%

5,951

29

Hampshire Constabulary

22,990

84%

19,315

30

Dyfed-Powys Police

4,897

83.90%

4,111

31

Kent Police

25,585

83.90%

21,459

32

Metropolitan Police Service

187,606

83.70%

157,048

33

Hertfordshire Constabulary

14,551

83.30%

12,118

34

Essex Police

24,028

82.30%

19,782

35

Police Service of Northern Ireland

16,851

82.30%

13,866

36

Avon and Somerset Constabulary

25,098

82.10%

20,600

37

Thames Valley Police

30,786

81.30%

25,029

38

North Yorkshire Police

8,750

81.10%

7,098

39

Devon & Cornwall Police

22,729

80.10%

18,215

40

Durham Constabulary

7,759

79.70%

6,182

41

West Mercia Police

13,988

78%

10,915

42

Cambridgeshire Constabulary

11,797

76.80%

9,060

43

Wiltshire Police

7,868

76.70%

6,032

44

Derbyshire Constabulary

12,911

75.50%

9,748

45

Dorset Police

9,880

75.10%

7,417

The study reveals Greater Manchester Police has the quickest 999 response rate, with 41,786 out of 44,491 calls answered under 10 seconds (93.90%).

Greater Manchester Police team responds to two million calls each year, which includes over 1700 calls to 999 every day.

The second quickest police force is Gwent Police, answering 6,504 out of a total 6,961 calls under 10 seconds (93.40%)

Gwent Police is responsible for policing the local authority areas of Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, Newport and Torfaen.

The overall crime rate in Gwent in 2022 was 83 crimes per 1,000 people, and the most common crimes were violence and sexual offences.

The third fasted police force is West Midlands Police, with a 92,40% response rate. Out of the 62,207 calls received this November, 57,506 were answered.

Fourth fastest is West Yorkshire Police, answering 35,057 out of 38,027 calls, they have a 92.20% call response rate.

Ranking in the top five is Lincolnshire Police. Out of 8,576 999 calls, 7,878 were answered.

The slowest police force for answering 999 calls Is Dorset Police. Out of a total 9,880 calls, 75.10% of them were answered in less than 10 seconds.

A spokesperson for Radaris has commented on the study findings:[8]

“Police revealed that crime had increased by 11% in the year ending December 2022 compared with the year ending December 2021.

“This year-on-year increase highlights a strong correlation between the rise in crime rates and its association with Christmas.

“Police response rates are important for several reasons, such as preventing the situation escalating, reducing the risk of harm to an individual or property, or improving chances of preserving valuable evidence.”

Methodology

The data team at Radaris have analysed most recent 999 performance data from Police.uk during November 2023

References

  1. ^ Visit Shots! now (www.shotstv.com)
  2. ^ Radaris (radaris.com)
  3. ^ Radaris, (radaris.com)
  4. ^ Northamptonshire Police (www.northamptonchron.co.uk)
  5. ^ Data (www.northamptonchron.co.uk)
  6. ^ West Midlands Police (www.northamptonchron.co.uk)
  7. ^ West Yorkshire Police (www.northamptonchron.co.uk)
  8. ^ Radaris (radaris.com)