Police forces recruit more workers to answer missed calls
Police forces in Staffordshire and the West Midlands have recruited more call centre workers after a watchdog criticised them for the number of reports going unanswered.
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) branded Staffordshire Police 'poor' after it was revealed 7.1 per cent of non-emergency 101 calls and 1.5 per cent of emergency 999 calls were abandoned.
While the body said the issue 'cast a shadow' over West Midlands Police where up to a third of non-emergency calls were going unanswered at peak times as well as 'small' amount of emergency calls.
Since Staffordshire Police was inspected in the spring, bosses said the force had moved to address the problem.
Deputy Chief Constable Nick Baker said: "As part of this inspection, HMICFRS said we needed to improve in 'planning for the future'.
"They commented that a small proportion of calls are either abandoned or take too long to answer.
"To address this we have invested in our Contact Centre and recruited more staff to ensure we answer non-emergency calls in a timely way."
The inspection report for West Midlands Police also acknowledged that more staff were being hired among other solutions.
The report stated: "Failure to answer a number of calls being received in the contact centre casts a shadow over the ability of the force to manage demand effectively.
"HMICFRS recognises that the force understands the extent of the problem and has plans in place to rectify the situation.
"These include recruiting more call handlers, better training, and providing alternative media by which the public can contact the force, for example webchat."
Both forces were rated 'Good' overall for Efficiency which was under review during the inspections.
Staffordshire Police 'Required Improvement' in the category of planning for the future due to the number of calls being missed and a 'not fully formulated' financial plan.
DCC Baker added: "Demand is increasing year on year, at a time where we continue to have to make savings. It is a credit to our staff that once again HMICFRS has recognised the excellent work that takes place across our force to maintain our efficiency.
"Our work sharing data with other organisations to identify patterns of offending has helped us to understand and serve our communities better.
"This was recognised by Inspectors and validates the time and investment we have made into digital technology, to test new initiatives and respond to innovation from within our own workforce.
"We have also worked hard to develop our current and future skills and capabilities internally and amongst partners – something Inspectors praised our efforts for.
"Our introduction of a new leadership passport to develop the leaders of the future, and our collaborative approach with public and private sector partners will ensure we continue to improve our service in the years to come.
"Additionally, we have launched a major transformation programme that will position us well to meet growing demand on our services and continuing pressure on policing budgets.
"This programme will significantly improve the way we currently respond to incidents, enabling us to respond better and more efficiently.
"This, along with our innovative digital drive and the implementation of one of the biggest IT refreshes we have ever undergone, will help ensure that we're fit for the future."
West Midlands Police was rated Outstanding for future planning, Good for use of resources and Requires Improvement for understanding demand - the latter put down to missed calls.
Deputy Chief Inspector Louisa Rolfe, said: "It’s pleasing that the report noted some excellent areas of performance in relation to our efficiency, use of resources and preparedness for the future, including our ability to address national trends such as the increased threat from firearms and cybercrime.
"Inspectors praised the force’s commitment to recruit and develop investigators of the future in a Detective Training Academy and also the training programme rolled out to community officers to help them to deal effectively with an increased use of psychoactive substances.
"HMICFRS found that we listen to our staff and embrace technology in order to work more efficiently. This included the roll-out of body-worn cameras for officers and agile working and use of mobile data terminals to eliminate unnecessary travel to and from police stations.
She added: "West Midlands Police’s change programme for the future was rated ‘outstanding’ and the report highlighted how the plan adopts a less reactive approach, with an increased focus on working with partner agencies to intervene and prevent crime at the earliest opportunity.
"And it acknowledges that these achievements continue to be made in a climate of falling police revenues: West Midlands Police’s spend reduced by £25m between 2010 and 2016 and we have plans to save a further £62m before 2020."
