A new study by Radaris reveals the UK police forces answering phone calls the quickest and slowest.

Research conducted by people search engine, Radaris, analyses the most recent data from the month of November to determine how long UK police forces take to answer emergency phone calls.

Northamptonshire Police are the 6th fastest at answering 999 calls- with a 91.90% response rate they answered 10,159 out of 11,111 calls in November.

Data reveals the number of calls and percentages answered under 10 seconds in November 2023.

	Police Force Name	Total Calls	% of calls answered under 10 seconds	Calls answered in under 10 seconds
1	Greater Manchester Police	44,491	93.90%	41,798
2	Gwent Police	6,961	93.40%	6,504
3	West Midlands Police	62,207	92.40%	57,506
4	West Yorkshire Police	38,027	92.20%	35,047
5	Lincolnshire Police	8,576	91.90%	7,878
6	Northamptonshire Police	11,111	91.40%	10,159
7	Suffolk Constabulary	9,328	91.40%	8,526
8	Sussex Police	21,953	91.30%	20,033
9	Leicestershire Police	16,750	89.9%	15,065
10	Cheshire Constabulary	12,150	89.80%	10,905
11	Nottinghamshire Police	15,928	89.70%	14,294
12	Norfolk Constabulary	9,947	89.20%	8,869
13	Cumbria Constabulary	5,519	89.10%	4,917
14	Northumbria Police	22,913	88.70%	20,330
15	Lancashire Constabulary	21,757	88.10%	19,169
16	Lancashire Constabulary	21,757	88.10%	19,169
17	Cleveland Police	8,477	87.50%	7,416
18	South Wales Police	17,613	87.40%	15,399
19	Bedfordshire Police	10,082	86.70%	8,741
20	Humberside Police	12,292	86.6%	10,642
21	South Yorkshire Police	21,053	86.6%	18,234
22	Staffordshire Police	17,034	86.50%	14,733
23	Merseyside Police	22,593	86.30%	19,489
24	North Wales Police	8,015	86.20%	6,912
25	Surrey Police	13,208	86.10%	11,377
26	Warwickshire Police	7,837	86%	6,741
27	Police Scotland	57,852	85.60%	49,537
28	Gloucestershire Constabulary	6,969	85.40%	5,951
29	Hampshire Constabulary	22,990	84%	19,315
30	Dyfed-Powys Police	4,897	83.90%	4,111
31	Kent Police	25,585	83.90%	21,459
32	Metropolitan Police Service	187,606	83.70%	157,048
33	Hertfordshire Constabulary	14,551	83.30%	12,118
34	Essex Police	24,028	82.30%	19,782
35	Police Service of Northern Ireland	16,851	82.30%	13,866
36	Avon and Somerset Constabulary	25,098	82.10%	20,600
37	Thames Valley Police	30,786	81.30%	25,029
38	North Yorkshire Police	8,750	81.10%	7,098
39	Devon & Cornwall Police	22,729	80.10%	18,215
40	Durham Constabulary	7,759	79.70%	6,182
41	West Mercia Police	13,988	78%	10,915
42	Cambridgeshire Constabulary	11,797	76.80%	9,060
43	Wiltshire Police	7,868	76.70%	6,032
44	Derbyshire Constabulary	12,911	75.50%	9,748
45	Dorset Police	9,880	75.10%	7,417

The study reveals Greater Manchester Police has the quickest 999 response rate, with 41,786 out of 44,491 calls answered under 10 seconds (93.90%).

Greater Manchester Police team responds to two million calls each year, which includes over 1700 calls to 999 every day.

The second quickest police force is Gwent Police, answering 6,504 out of a total 6,961 calls under 10 seconds (93.40%)

Gwent Police is responsible for policing the local authority areas of Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, Newport and Torfaen.

The overall crime rate in Gwent in 2022 was 83 crimes per 1,000 people, and the most common crimes were violence and sexual offences.

The third fasted police force is West Midlands Police, with a 92,40% response rate. Out of the 62,207 calls received this November, 57,506 were answered.

Fourth fastest is West Yorkshire Police, answering 35,057 out of 38,027 calls, they have a 92.20% call response rate.

West Yorkshire Police showed there were six times more burglaries on December 25, 2022, compared to an average day, according to reports.

Ranking in the top five is Lincolnshire Police. Out of 8,576 999 calls, 7,878 were answered.

The slowest police force for answering 999 calls Is Dorset Police. Out of a total 9,880 calls, 75.10% of them were answered in less than 10 seconds.

Latest crime statistics show that Dorset remains one of the safest areas in the country.

A spokesperson for Radaris has commented on the study findings:

“Police revealed that crime had increased by 11% in the year ending December 2022 compared with the year ending December 2021.

“This year-on-year increase highlights a strong correlation between the rise in crime rates and its association with Christmas.

“Police response rates are important for several reasons, such as preventing the situation escalating, reducing the risk of harm to an individual or property, or improving chances of preserving valuable evidence.”

END

Source: 999 performance data | Police.uk (www.police.uk)

Methodology

The data team at Radaris have analysed most recent 999 performance data from Police.uk during November 2023

Northamptonshire Police sixth fastest at answering 999 calls - new data reveals