Greater Manchester Police had the quickest response times to 999 calls of any police force in the country

The latest data from November 2023 shows 41,786 out of 44,491 calls were answered within 10 seconds (93.9%), with the average speed of answer for that month being two seconds.

The following month, GMP answered 93.4% of some 45,860 calls within 10 seconds. 999 data has been sourced via police.uk

Across the Force Contact, Crime and Operations (FCCO) centre, answer times for non-emergency calls using 101 saw the average speed of answer reduced from one minute and one second in January 2023 to 30 seconds in January 2024.

The non-emergency service level answered within three minutes increased from 80.2% in January 2023 to 86.7% in January 2024.

June 2023 saw the highest levels of demand for 101 non-emergency calls, with some 79,109 calls coming into the FCCO centre. 83.2% of those were answered within the 101 non-emergency service level of three minutes.

There has been significant investment in the FCCO centre recently. A new leadership team was established in 2022 and a concerted recruitment campaign to provide call handling with the resources required to answer calls for service efficiently.

A revised graded response policy was introduced, the basis being an initial THRIVE (Threat, Harm, Risk, Investigation, Vulnerability, Engagement) assessment which ensures that the force now effectively prioritises its calls for service.

Superintendent Jim Ainscough of GMP’s FCCO said: “This is a brilliant result for all our staff, particularly our hardworking call handlers, customer enquiry unit, digital team, radio dispatchers, crime recorders and force operations centre team who answer and respond to calls for service.

“In the last couple of years the FCCO have made a whole host of improvements in the level of service provided to members of the public in their hour of need.

“A new performance framework has been introduced, with real focus and drive on both a quick and quality service. This has led to GMP consistently being in the top 10 - often number one nationally - for answering 999 calls within the target time of 10 seconds and reaching a service level agreement of 90%, which all forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland aim to achieve.

“Answer times for other non-emergency routes, such as 101 and digital, have also improved significantly, resulting in a better overall service to the public of Greater Manchester, reiterating our commitment to the people who need our help the most.

“The improvements have been recognised by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services in their recent PEEL inspection of GMP.

“I would like to thank everyone involved with the FCCO for their hard work and commitment over the past 12 months and beyond.”