GMP makes further progress in responding to emergencies and solving crime

Greater Manchester Police made further progress, in February, in improving the force’s response to incidents and investigation of crime.

Alongside GMP becoming the first placed force for the percentage of calls answered in less than 10 seconds (despite having the fourth highest call volume), the Force Contact, Crime and Operations Centre also reduced the time taken to answer 101 calls by another 10 seconds, compared the the previous month. 

In February 2023, the average speed of answer for 999 calls was four seconds, down from 1 minute 22 seconds at the peak in July 2021. The average speed of answer for 101 calls was 51 seconds, down from 6 minutes 44 seconds. 

The time taken to arrive at emergency calls reduced by around 10 seconds and at priority calls by around 10 minutes, compared to January. 

In February 2023, the average time it took to attend a Grade 1 emergency call was 9 minutes 46 seconds, down from 13 minutes 35 seconds at the peak in September 2021.

The average time it took to attend a Grade 2 priority call was 1 hour 45 seconds, down from 28 hours 45 minutes and 59 seconds in August 2021. 50% of Grade 2 priority calls were attended within 60 minutes. 

Arrests and solved crime also continue to rise. In the 12 months to February 2023, GMP increased arrests by 51.8% to 57,357. Solved crime also increased by 28.5% to 25,168.

GMP Deputy Chief Constable Terry Woods said: “The force has made tremendous progress since the journey to improvement began and we know there is still some way to go to ensure GMP is consistently delivering the outstanding service which communities so rightly expect.

“When people need us most, call handlers are answering the phone quicker and officers are arriving quicker. More arrests are being made and more crimes are being solved – contributing to the reduction and prevention of harm, ultimately keeping people safe.”