Devon and Cornwall Police makes ‘significant improvement’ in handling of 999 and 101 calls
A cause of concern at Devon and Cornwall Police over its response to the public has been closed by the police inspectorate.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) said the force had made “sustained improvements” in its handling of 999 and 101 calls, particularly over the busy summer period.
In August, one of the busiest months for the force, 93.9 per cent of all 999 calls were answered within the national threshold of ten seconds.
Nationally published BT data published in August ranked the force 16th for answering 999 calls compared with the 42 other forces. For 101 calls, in August, 93.9 per cent of calls were answered within the threshold of 20 minutes and 93.4 per cent of other 101 contact (email and digital demand) were answered within 24 hours.
Devon and Cornwall’s police and crime commissioner Alison Hernandez said in the 12 months to this September, her office had received just five pieces of correspondence related to 101 wait times, compared with around 60 the previous year.
Devon and Cornwall Police was moved in to the ‘Engage’ phase of monitoring by HMICFRS in October 2022. It identified three areas where the force needed to make “clear and sustained improvements” – the management of violent and sexual offenders (MOSOVO); the ability to answer emergency and non-emergency calls; and how crime is recorded.
The force was formally discharged from concerns regarding the management of MOSOVO in January this year.
For the recording of crime, it remains in the Engage phase, however, the ‘inadequate’ rating has been lifted by HMICFRS and the inspectorate has placed the force on a more positive rating of ‘requires improvement’ in this area.
The force’s own recent audit shows crime recording compliance is currently being maintained at levels above 90 per cent.
For investigating crime, HMICFRS said this area will also remain a cause for concern, but it has acknowledged the progress the force continues to make and highlights an increase in positive outcomes.
Acting Chief Constable Jim Colwell said: “I am pleased that HMICFRS has recognised the significant improvements the force has made over the past 12 months in answering 999 and 101 calls which we have maintained throughout our busy summer period.
“This is testament to the hard work of officers and staff across the force who have worked together to deliver improvements including transforming our digital contact.
“However, we will not be complacent, and we will continue to make efforts to improve our contact with the public to ensure that victims receive the service they rightly deserve.
“We have now been discharged by HMICFRS for two of the three areas for the Engage phase of monitoring, and the inspectorate has also recognised our work in improving how we record crime – signs we are making real and sustained progress.
Our own recent audit shows that our crime recording compliance is improving but we fully accept that we still have further work to do to improve in this area particularly around the recording of rape offences and anti-social behaviour.
“We also continue to be focused on our investigation standards and are committed to delivering better outcomes for victims and bring more offenders to justice resulting in an improved service for our communities.”
“I look forward to continuing to work closely with HMICFRS and welcoming the Inspectorate back in the coming months to further consider our progress.”
Ms Hernandez said: “The challenges in dealing with calls to the 101 non-emergency and 999 emergency call lines have been immense and pre-date my first term. Various attempts have been made to tackle this challenge, and significant investment in people and technology has been made over many years.
“This time strong leadership and a hands-on approach to fixing what was wrong has made the difference. The force’s call handlers continue to work under immense pressure, and I know many callers are grateful for their professionalism and expertise.
“There is still work to do to support the force on its improvement journey, but I am delighted that the Inspectorate has formally recognised the significant improvement in this area, which matters so much to the public we serve and influences public confidence in policing.”
She said the full HMICFRS report is due to be discussed at the October meeting of the Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Panel.
His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary Andy Cooke QPM DL commended the force for the progress it has made in responding to the public
“The force has continued to improve its year to date 101 abandonment rate,” he said. “The most recent data provided by the force as of August 2024 stated that its abandonment rate was 27.1 per cent. This shows how the force had made sustained improvements, including over the busy summer period.
“Although it still needs to make improvements in this area, the force has shown enough signs of progress in how it responds to the public to allow me to close this cause of concern.”
However, he added that Devon and Cornwall Police needs to continue making improvements, with two outstanding causes of concern in relation to crime data integrity and investigating crime.