Devon & Cornwall Police are this week honouring their contact centre ‘Headset Heroes’ who work tirelessly in the Force’s control rooms as part of International Control Room Week.
Based in Exeter and Plymouth, the Force’s contact and dispatch operators work in a challenging environment to ensure public safety whilst managing traumatic and distressing situations daily from calls coming into the Force in emergencies via 999 and non-emergencies via 101. The week recognises the good work of everyone within the control rooms, together with our public enquiry officers who are available face to face to deal with queries from the public.
The Force’s contact centre performance continues to maintain sustained improvements despite a rise in calls. Last month the average waiting time for a 999 call to be answered was 6 seconds with 92% of 999 calls answered within 10 seconds. The average waiting time for a 101 call to be answered was 3 minutes 44 seconds – a significant improvement compared to this time last year.
Additionally, the Force’s 101-call back service provides an option for callers who do not want to wait as it allows the caller to retain their place in the queue without waiting on the phone.
Lucy Baillie, Police Staff Commander said:
“We are immensely proud of the work done by our control room staff and front enquiry officers. Every day they are on the frontline demonstrating their commitment to helping our communities including the most vulnerable. I would like to publicly thank them all for their extraordinary commitment and professionalism.
“Often the first point of contact, their role is not just about dispatching uniformed officers to a scene or helping to locate a missing person, they often find themselves speaking to people in distress, keeping them on the line and providing vital support until an officer arrives saving countless lives.
“We are especially pleased with the improvements we have sustained since 2024 to our call answering times for 999 and the 101 service and this is testament to the hard work of our staff.
