Inside the Control Room

January and February have been busy months (as always) for our control room staff. 

Here's what 2025 has looked like so far in numbers:

Call handler

Responsive around the clock, the Contact Centre within the Demand Hub sits at the very heart of our operations.

It’s the part of Cambridgeshire Constabulary that handles all incoming emergency and non-emergency calls from the public – so the work is both rewarding and absolutely essential to the community.

The Contact Centre take an average of 1500 calls a day. Despite that, no two calls are ever quite the same. One minute they could be noting down the details of a stolen vehicle. The next, they might be logging a report of a missing person, or transferring an incident to dispatch.

Working towards specific targets, call handlers aim to answer at least 90 per cent of emergency calls within ten seconds, and 80 per cent of non-emergency calls within thirty seconds.

They also record all reports of crime, within 24 hours of being notified of the offence.

Dispatcher

Dispatchers play a pivotal role in ensuring our officers are there, when the public need them the most.

The main part of their role is reviewing and assessing reported incidents and then rapidly and effectively deploying the appropriate police resource, or; directing the incident towards another more appropriate agency. 

Incidents could include burglaries, assaults, concern for persons, people reported missing from home, road traffic collisions etc. 

The role also includes answering emergency 999 calls or non emergency 101 calls. No two calls are ever the same and this requires good listening and communication skills. 

Call handler

Call handler, Chelsea, gives us a glimpse into what an average shift looks like for her as an emergency call handler for the constabulary.

Read the full article here. 

Dispatcher

If you’ve ever wondered what an average shift looks like for a dispatcher working in a police control room, you’re in luck!

Dispatcher, Dan, talks us through his normal day at work below.

Read the full article here. 

You might be in the fortunate position where you've never had to contact the police before.

If that sounds familiar, but you'd like to feel a little more prepared should you ever need to reach us, here's some FAQs we often get asked about contacting the police:

How do I know what constitues an emergency?

This is not an exhaustive list, but it is generally considered an emergency if / when there is:

•     a danger to life
•     use, or immediate threat of use, of violence
•     serious injury to a person and/or
•     serious damage to property
•     the crime is, or likely to be serious and in progress
•     an offender has just been disturbed at the scene
•     an offender has been detained and poses, or is likely to pose, a risk to other people

What if I want to report a non-urgent crime but I don't like phone calls?

There are plenty of other ways you can report non-urgent crime to us. We have a 'report' section of our website, where you can fill in an online form.

You can also speak to operators on live web chat, or you can chat to us via direct message on social media.

How do I tell you about something I have seen or heard?

There is a dedicated page on our website where you can tell us if you've seen or heard something concerning. 

Can I report crime anonymously?

Yes - you can report anonymously via CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111.

What should I do if I accidentally dialled 999?

If you accidentally dial 999, please stay on the line and tell the operator you’re safe and that no crime has occurred.

What if I have a hearing or speech impairment?

If you have a hearing or speech impairment and you’ve pre-registered with the emergency SMS service, you can use our textphone service 18000 or text us on 999.

If you're a British Sign Language (BSL) user, you can call 999 BSL to use a remote BSL interpreter.

Can I still call 999 if I don't feel safe enough to talk?

Yes - we have a process for silent 999 calls.

If you don't speak or answer questions, press 55 or tap the keypad when prompted and your call will be transferred to the police. 

The police will usually be able to find your location and they will know that you need help but cannot talk freely. 

1. We receive an average of 1,100 calls into our control room every single day. 

2. Call handlers manually review and process every single online report submitted to us in between answering calls.

3. All online reports are then passed on to the Investigation Management Unit (IMU) who will dig further into the report, and handle the it from there. 

4. In January and February of 2025, our average wait time on the 999 phone line was two seconds. 

5. In the same period, our average wait time on the 101 phone line was five seconds. 

6. There are more than 100 people working in the Contact Centre which is a mixture of call handlers, police officer call handlers, supervisors and managers.

7. There are more than 100 additional people working in the Force Control Room (FCR) which is a mixture of dispatchers, police officer dispatchers, supervisors and inspectors. 

8. It is the job of the call handler to 'grade' every incident, meaning they decide the seriousness of the call, and the speed of our response.

9. Dispatchers will assess reported incidents and then rapidly deploy the appropriate police resource. 

10. You're talking to real people based in the contact centre when speaking to us on live web chat and social media direct message.