Hampshire police answering 999 faster as response times slashed after watchdog raised concerns
Emergency 999 calls are being answered faster thanks to “transformational” changes at Hampshire police, a report has said.
The average speed to answer 999 calls is now 73 per cent faster than in previous years, police revealed.
In 2024/25, 999 calls to the police were answered within three seconds on average, down from eleven seconds in 2023/24.
The annual Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) report showed that the improvement followed the findings of a Police Effectiveness, Efficiency and Legitimacy (Peel) report, which raised concerns that the force did not answer emergency and non-emergency calls “in a timely way”.
The report, by HM Inspectorate of Constabularies and Fire & Rescue Services, said the force did not always act as quickly as it should, but he was “pleased to find” this was being addressed with an increase in call handlers.
The improvements have been recorded in the annual PCC report, which shows that in 2024/25, 93.21 per cent of 999 calls were answered, marking a 13 per cent increase from the previous year.
These calls were responded to within three seconds, improving response time by 73 per cent compared to the previous year, when calls were answered in 11 seconds.
At the same time, people calling 101 waited significantly less time. The wait dropped from an average of nearly 10 minutes and 24 seconds in 2023/24 to just two minutes and 50 seconds in 2024/25.
The PCC annual report said: “These figures represent a transformational improvement.
“Over 90 per cent of 101 calls are now answered within 10 minutes, compared to just 65 per cent the previous year. The number of abandoned calls has dropped by two-thirds, significantly improving public access and confidence.”
It added that improving access to policing was a priority for the police and crime commissioner.
“The PCC commended the Constabulary’s constructive and proactive response to challenge and scrutiny,” the report added.
“These improvements show a real shift in performance culture and a strong commitment to putting the public first in every contact. The OPCC will continue to provide rigorous oversight to ensure this progress is sustained.”