Greater Manchester Police has hit a new milestone of answering 999 calls within one second after boost in call handler numbers. The force has now been rated as one of the top in the country for time answering emergency calls.
The time in answering calls was significantly slashed from the waiting times 12 months ago - where callers were waiting an average of 89 seconds for an answer.
The force announced that its largest ever intake of call handlers were taken on earlier this month, with 54 new recruits. Greater Manchester Police said the review of data showed they receive an average call volume of 30,000 per week.
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Chief Superintendent Chris Gibson, said: “Last week our Force Control Centre hit a milestone of answering 999 calls in 1 second, which is a huge improvement from 12 months ago, when it was found that 999 callers were waiting on average 89 seconds for an answer.
“Improvements to the service have been made by introducing a new incident response policy, which allows for better prioritisation of calls and co-ordinating of response. Ultimately, this means getting a faster response to the people who need it most.
“The force also welcomed its largest ever intake of 54 new call handlers earlier this month, significantly increasing the team and giving us the resources to be able to continue to improve. This is an exciting time for the force as we continue to make improvements where needed, ultimately, making the region a safer place for our communities."
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