Northumbria Police have welcomed 17 new specialist contact handlers

Northumbria Police have welcomed 17 new specialist contact handlers as part of their ongoing commitment to ensuring they are there for you when needed.

 

The new recruits – who joined shortly after the New Year on an apprenticeship – are now two weeks into their extensive tailored training course.

 

The contact handlers will be trained to answer both 999 and 101 calls and will help ensure the force can provide the very best service possible to the public.

 

Head of Communications, Rachel Walters, has officially welcomed the new recruits to the team – and highlighted the vital role they will play in responding to the public.

 

She said: “I’m so pleased to welcome our newest recruits into our contact centres.

 

“Ultimately, our main goal has always been and will always be to ensure that in an emergency someone is on the other end of the phone to you as quickly as possible – and that they can provide the service and support you need.

 

“These new faces will play an important part in ensuring we continued to do just that – and I’m really excited to see how they learn and develop into their new roles.”

 

On average, Northumbria Police receives 850 calls to 999 and 900 calls on the non-emergency 101 number every day – however not all require a police response. 

 

Rachel added: “As always, we’re calling on the public’s continued support to help ensure we can respond to those who need us most as quickly as possible.

 

“Some of the calls we receive are not police-related or are just asking for guidance which can be found elsewhere such as on the government or your local authority websites, or a quick internet search.

 

“Calls like these might seem harmless, but they contribute to a huge demand on the staff working in the contact centres, such as our new contact handlers, who could otherwise be busy dealing with genuine emergencies.

 

“Please think twice about your call and whether it requires a police response.”

 

In a non-emergency situation, where they are able to do so, people can also contact police online.

 

Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Kim McGuinness, said: “Improving call response times is something we are continually delivering on. As demand increases, the more call handlers we have trained up answering the phones, the better.

 

“It really is such an important role requiring many skills – you never know what the next call might bring. Whatever it might be, our call handlers are the first point of contact many will have with Northumbria Police so it’s important we get this right.

 

“These latest recruits are from a broad range of backgrounds and are a welcome boost for the Force. I have seen first-hand the challenges, but I know it is a rewarding career and I wish our new staff the best of luck.”

 

To contact Northumbria Police in a non-emergency situation, visit the ‘Report’ pages of the website.

 

If unable to report online, call the non-emergency 101 line – which offers a call back service which ensures the place in the queue is not lost.

 

In an emergency, always call 999 if someone is in immediate danger or a crime is ongoing.