Unsung heroes celebrated during International Control Room Week

Did you know that our control room deals with an average of 10,000 999 calls every month?

Communications officers, who are based within our contact centre, are the first point of contact for many people who are often in distress and are contacting the police for help. They have to quickly take control of the situation, gather the information needed and provide reassurance and advice to the caller.

This week sees the launch of International Control Room Week, which highlights the vital role that Communications Officers and Switchboard Operators do as they deal with traumatic situations every day – from dealing with risk to life, reports of violent of crime, road traffic collisions as well as people who are in crisis.

No two days are the same, with call handlers and dispatchers providing a service to the public 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Chief Inspector Jake Wright, said: “Our OCC staff are a very dedicated team and this awareness week really highlights the fantastic work they do.

“Working in a police control room is challenging but can also be incredibly rewarding. On average they take around 350 999 calls and 1200 101 calls each day. Our staff know that they are making a difference to people’s lives every day. They are often our unsung heroes who aren’t visible in our communities but are providing a fantastic service.”

Currently the vast majority of non-emergency reports come into the force via the 101 telephone line but now people can report these crimes via the force’s website. Anyone reporting an incident online will receive exactly the same service as when someone dials 101.

People can simply go to the website and click on ‘report’ and then choose the appropriate section. If they are reporting a crime they will be directed through a series of short questions to establish some basic details of what has happened. Once the information is submitted it will be assessed and allocated to the appropriate team.

Types of incidents and crimes that can be reported online include:

• Anti-social behaviour
• Stolen or damaged property
• Minor road traffic incidents (without injury)
• Low level threats or verbal abuse
• When you have been assaulted
• Report an abandoned vehicle
• Report minor online crime

Chief Inspector Wright said: “More and more people are now reporting non- emergency incidents to us online which helps to keep our emergency lines free for those who are most in need and need and need an urgent response. There is also lots of advice on our website which can help to point people in the right direction.”

International Control Room Week was launched in 2018 and was supported by almost 200 control room operations and more than 10,000 personnel from police, ambulance, fire and coastguard services across the UK, as well as control rooms from as far afield as USA, Australia and India. The campaign this year will use the hashtag #unsungheroes.

Incidents can be reported online via our dedicated reporting pages.