Gloucestershire Police’s Emergency Call Response No Longer a “Cause for Concern”

Inspectors have determined that Gloucestershire Police’s response time to 999 and 101 calls no longer constitutes a “cause for concern”. Prior interventions were implemented following a discovery that during the year concluding June 2023, the constabulary had responded to merely 59.2% of 999 calls within a 10-second timeframe, significantly below the 90% objective. With this percentage rising to 80% over the last nine months, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has now verified that the issues have been sufficiently resolved. Chris Nelson, Gloucestershire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, stated that this enhancement represented “a testament to the hard work, dedication and positive changes seen in the control room”. Furthermore, in correspondence released by HMICFRS, the inspectorate noted that the force had advanced in decreasing the volume of individuals calling the 101 non-emergency number who disconnected prior to their calls being answered. Gloucestershire Police attributed the enhancements in its response capabilities to heightened recruitment drives, providing mentoring and training for personnel, upgrading IT infrastructure, and implementing “robust and proactive leadership” within the control room. The force further indicated that these advancements, initially noted in May 2024, persisted through the summer period. By September, the average duration to answer a 999 call was slightly over four seconds, and approximately 83 seconds for 101 calls. Assistant Chief Constable Rich Ocone extended gratitude to “everyone who played a part” in enhancing performance, stating: “These combined efforts showed a determination to grip the issues, make decisive changes and to be unrelenting in our work to provide a better service to the people of Gloucestershire – not least to be there for them when they need us most.”