How quickly West Yorkshire Police answers 999 calls as Home Office figures reveal only one force met target

Avon and Somerset Police was the only force to meet the standard, according to national statistics released for the first time by the Home Office.

Forty-three forces, including West Yorkshire Police, failed to meet it over the six months from November 2021 to April 2022.

The figures show the average emergency call made to West Yorkshire Police was answered in 11.3 seconds, with 79 per cent answered in the target time of under 10 seconds.

A further 19 per cent of calls were answered within 10 to 60 seconds, with the remaining two per cent of callers waiting longer than one minute.

It places the force above the national average of 71 per cent of calls being answered within 10 seconds but still some way off the 90 per cent target.

Humberside Police recorded the worst number, with only two per cent of calls answered in under 10 seconds, while the figures for South Yorkshire Police and North Yorkshire Police stood at 17 per cent and 44 per cent respectively.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said “the public deserve to know that their local police force will be at the end of the phone, ready to leap into action at seconds’ notice to protect them from harm”.

“Fundamentally, publishing this data is about driving up standards in our incredible emergency services even further,” she added.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) lead for contact management, Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd, said a lag in connecting calls can contribute to waits but that “this isn’t for a member of public to resolve”.

West Yorkshire Police also pointed to the lag in connecting calls, saying that its call handlers answered the average 999 call in 6.8 seconds once connection times were taken into consideration. The force also answered every 999 call, with a zero per cent abandoned call rate.

Its contact senior manager, Tom Donohoe, said: “The summer months tend to be a busier period for the police and with the extra bank holiday this week and all Covid restrictions now lifted, we are expecting to be busier than ever."

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On average, the force receives around 3,800 contacts each day, via the 999 emergency number, the 101 non-emergency, the 101 Live Chat facility available through its website and other online contact options.

It used the publication of the figures to remind the public that while people should always call 999 where there is a threat to life or crime in progress, there are a number of free online alternatives to calling 101. They include online reporting forms for a range of issues including anti-social behaviour, criminal damage, drug dealing and theft.

The force says the average online reporting form takes five minutes to complete, which is quicker than 101.

Mr Donohoe said: “Already our contact agents are dealing with just under 4,000 contacts per day from the public and traditionally during hot weather this number can rise significantly, so we need you to help us help you.

“We are asking people wherever possible to please click before you call. A lot of what people contact us about on 101 can be sorted quicker online and it frees up our call handlers to answer other calls.

“We understand that people like to talk to someone and know that their enquiry or report is being looked at. I would like to reassure people that if you report something online you will still receive a follow-up email, or a telephone call if requested.”