Only one police force in the UK is meeting its 999 calls target

Avon and Somerset Police was the only force to meet the standard of answering 90% of 999 calls in under 10 seconds.

Forty-three police forces failed to meet it over the six months from November 2021 and April 2022.

Overall, 71% of 999 calls were answered within 10 seconds, in data that was released for the first time by the Home Office.

Humberside Police recorded the worst number, with only 2% of calls answered in under 10 seconds. South Yorkshire Police answered 17%, Durham Police 41%, North Yorkshire 44% and Gloucestershire 49%.

Percentage of 999 calls answered in under 10 seconds by different police forces (PA Graphics)

Police Scotland aims to have a mean answering time of under ten seconds, and recorded 10.1 over the period.

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”.

She added: “Fundamentally, publishing this data is about driving up standards in our incredible emergency services even further, so that the public can have every confidence in the police’s ability to save lives and keep our streets safe.

“We can now see where forces are excelling and where vital improvements need to be made and I thank the police for their commitment to ensuring we maintain the best emergency services in the world.”

The Association for Police and Crime Commissioners local policing leads Alison Hernandez and Jeff Cuthbert said the data showed “the demand for policing and the volume of calls” across the country.

“Police and Crime Commissioners are committed to supporting excellence in policing and will use this data to continually drive forward improvements and hold the police to account on behalf of the public,” they added.