Concerns and confusion continue to persist regarding the performance of 101 service in York.

During a public meeting organised by Liberal Democrat Councillor Ashley Mason, residents were vocal in their displeasure over the quality of service they have received after calling 101, with many commenting that police responses were too slow or, in some instances, did not show up at all.

In response, Chief Inspector Charlotte Bloxham, head of the York Control Room, highlighted that November 2017 was the busiest month on record for 999 calls and due to the sheer volume of calls, this had an adverse effect on the force’s ability to respond to 101 calls.  However, the Police did apologise to residents who had not been provided the appropriate level of service and commitments were made to improve localised responses to 101 calls.

In addition, a number of residents underlined their unhappiness that charges were being applied to the national 101 service, despite residents being actively encouraged to log calls via 101.  Deputy Chief Constable, Lisa Winward, concurred that residents should not be charged for logging calls and agreed to take this issue to the National Police Board.

Cllr Ashley Mason said:

“The 101 service is extremely important for many local communities and it is crucial that it operates to a high standard  Calls to the 101 service must result in police action, where necessary, and I am pleased that the Police took onboard the concerns of residents and apologised to those who had been let down by the service.

Looking forward, it is encouraging that Deputy Chief Constable will take the issue of call charges to the Police’s National Board and commitments have been made to improve responses to 101 calls.  We must continue to scrutinise the performance of the 101 service, in order to identify where improvements are required.  Excellent standards must be consistently maintained to deliver the safety residents are entitled to.