Agenda item

1.    The Commissioner introduced his report and explained that although he had concerns about the service, particularly 101, he reassured Members that work was being done to improve the service.  There had been a substantial increase in the number of 999 calls coming into Kent Police, which had a knock-on effect on the 101 service.  The Commissioner confirmed that by definition 999 emergency calls were given priority over 101 non-emergency calls and there had been fluctuations in the number of 101 calls received.  The calls were also more complex, time consuming and demanding.  There had been no reduction in the number of staff working in the Force Control Room, however there had been issues with vacancies; control room staff were often successful in securing other roles within the organisation.  The service was also seeing an increasing number of mental health calls.

2.    The Commissioner confirmed that he held the Chief Constable to account both at 1 to 1 meetings and his Performance and Delivery Board.  Kent Police were also starting to see an increase in online reporting with 11% of crime reports being made online and 60% of road traffic collisions. 

3.    The Commissioner explained that with the support of the Panel, Kent Police were recruiting more people to work in the Force Control Room; not just filling vacancies, but an additional 40 members of staff specifically to answer phone calls and a further 20 in the Incident Management Unit.

4.    A Panel Member asked whether consideration had been given to have a dedicated team to deal with 101 calls rather than within the general call system.  The Commissioner explained that this, along with a number of other ideas to improve the process were currently being looked at by external consultants. 

5.    Members discussed the term ‘abandoned’ in relation to 999 calls (42,174 between April 17-March 18).  38% of 999 calls require an immediate response and 55% lead to an incident.  The failsafe was if Kent Police were unable to answer a 999 call another force would answer.  In response to a query about the term ‘abandoned’ Mr Harper confirmed that this was a national term which included accidental misdialling as well as a person phoning, saying help and hanging up; it was agreed that this term was not helpful. 

6.    In response to a question the Commissioner confirmed that he was satisfied with how people who repeatedly misuse the 999 system were being handled however he continued to hold the Chief Constable to account to improve the service.  With regards to repeat callers by example, the Commissioner said research had found that 17 people who needed support with their mental health were responsible for 5000 incidents in one part of the county alone over a 4 month period; there was now a dedicated mental health team in place to work with these individuals and others to determine why they were calling Kent Police repeatedly and assisting them.  He added that within the Force Control Room there was also the mental health triage service, provided by Mind mental health workers. The Commissioner offered apologies to residents who had experienced problems with the 999 or 101 service, and asked that people continue to provide Kent Police with information through 101, crimestoppers or country eye for example. 

7.    The Commissioner said he would provide statistics on the numbers of people using alternative channels, such as the text messaging service, to contact Kent Police.   These additional channels were advertised through specialist charities and on the Kent Police website.  He added that Victim Support offered similar services and funding had been provided to a charity which helps domestic violence victims who are deaf or experiencing hearing loss.  

8.    Members raised concerns about the differences between answering times within the report to the Panel and the Performance and Delivery Board minutes. The Commissioner acknowledged the comments and confirmed that he would try to present information in a more consistent way in the future.   In relation to abandoned calls the Commissioner considered it important to be aware of the context behind why calls were abandoned, he acknowledged that there needed to be an improvement in the way 101 calls were dealt with in the future.  Mr Harper explained that abandoned calls included those where the phone was hung up or the line went dead, they put a significant demand on policing because they can fall into the most serious categories and Kent Police have to act on the call and decide the best course of action.

9.    In response to a question about how call information was used the Commissioner explained that all calls to 999 or 101 relating to a crime were recorded and investigated either through telephone and desk top investigation or attendance at the scene.  The Commissioner said all crimes in Kent were investigated for any leads and opportunities to secure a conviction. He urged Members to report to him any instances where residents had tried to report a crime and Kent Police advised they would not investigate.  

10. In response to a question about artificial intelligence and its impact on processes in the future the Commissioner explained that Kent police was always looking at ways in which technology could be used to provide a better service, however human interaction was also very important. 

11.   A Member asked about morale amongst staff in the control room, how this was assessed and how this was monitored, the Commissioner confirmed that this was covered within his holding to account of the Chief Constable.  He considered that whilst it was recognised that Kent police were supporting people better there were challenges that needed to be addressed.  The Force Control Room were commended for the outstanding ways in which they responded to heavy snowfall earlier in the year.  It was considered that Kent Police were in a better position but there was still work to be done.

12. In response to a question about sanctions the Commissioner confirmed that he didn’t use targets but if the response to 999 and 101 calls did not improve he might have to consider them as a mechanism to drive delivery.  

13. The Chairman thanked the Commissioner for his report, the subject of which was a matter of significant public interest.  There was interest from the Panel in the use of technology, and particularly online reporting. 

RESOLVED that the Panel note the Commissioner’s report on 999 and 101 service.