COLLEGE OF POLICING
MAKING CONTROL ROOM SERVICES FIT FOR PURPOSE
The College of Policing’s new “Improving Force Control Room Services” resource focusses on helping forces deliver excellent service for the public
Force control rooms are the single point of contact for most people when they have a problem. Over 12.5 million 999 calls and over 19.5 million 101 calls were received between April 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024. Add to this online contact as well as social media conversations and the increasing volume of contact becomes clear. At the same time the issues dealt with are becoming more complex, posing significant challenges for those handling contact. Digital advances mean the public expect choice, a range of ways to contact the police. They rightly demand outstanding levels of customer service and when this falls short it has a direct impact on public trust and confidence.
The PEEL inspection reports published in 2021/22, identified that most forces require significant service improvements. The National Police Chiefs’ Council
(NPCC) Contact Management Strategy was updated in Nov 2023 and recognises the challenges faced. The Strategy identifies that less than 20 per cent of 999 calls result in emergency responses. Many calls to policing are to request routine updates, yet they are handled through the same channels as calls for service. NPCC Lead for Contact Management,
particular health and social care, is a key part of managing demand and ensuring a right care, right person approach. “The College of Policing and NPCC
have worked together with partners to publish a new online resource to support forces. They are encouraged to use it to review their approach and make transformative changes where necessary
practice and signposts to relevant guidance, standards and resources. National Performance Improvement
“Collaboration with other services, in particular health and social care, is a key part of managing demand and ensuring a right care, right person approach.”
ACC Catherine Akehurst recognises the opportunity to update approaches to contact management. “The service needs to be accessible and provide the public with a choice of how to contact police, aiming for early resolution of issues at the first point of contact, prioritising those at risk of greatest harm, and deploying a policing response where necessary. “Collaboration with other services, in
50 | POLICE | AUGUST | 2024
to improve service.” The new “Improving Force Control Room Services” resource, available on the College of Policing website, focusses on public focussed contact management, demand management and using technology to improve the public’s experience. The guidance also details how to support teams and protect their wellbeing recognising control rooms are challenging environments with recruitment and retention of expertise a priority. Each area highlights positive initiatives, practical tools, examples of innovative
Lead, T/Det Ch Supt Jon Hull commented: “Control rooms are the engine rooms of every force. They provide vital services in emergency and priority situations, saving lives every day. We all want the best service for the public and, while there will be local variations, there are consistent improvement themes running throughout all contact management. Sharing best practice and practical tools is one of the
best ways to improve how forces deliver those services. “There is an acceptance that telephone
and voice will continue to be the public, and policing’s, channel of choice for emergency contact. However, digital advances, specifically in the areas of automation and AI, offer opportunities to provide additional capacity to compliment the service provided by control room teams.” This work is carried out in collaboration with NPCC, IOPC, HMICFRS and Digital Public Contact (DPC).
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56
