One of the drivers for a new policing model is to maximise the benefits of having the largest number of officers in Warwickshire in force history to meet ever-increasing demand effectively, and to provide the very best prevention, engagement and investigation services for communities.
Looking specifically at demand: the police are experiencing significant levels of demand on our 999 and 101 phone lines. While they will always prioritise answering 999 calls, the increased demand means an increased wait time for 101 calls, which causes many people to abandon their calls, to call again, or call 999 instead when they don’t really need to. This, in turn, impacts our ability to respond to the people who most urgently need police attendance.
They are therefore making changes to improve our ability to meet demand. The briefing below provides more detail on the new triage process for 101 calls, further improvements we are planning to make, and the positive impact we hope they will have for our communities.