Northants Police urge use of common sense over calling 999

As concerns over Covid-19 increase, members of the public are reminded of the need to only use the 999 or 101 service where it is absolutely necessary, and to otherwise use the online reporting systems in place.

While the Force continues to deal with Covid-19 and understand the detail of the Prime Ministers announcement, the force is urging people to head online to report non-emergency incidents and crimes.

If the 101 call isn't urgent, people should use the online forms available at www.northants.police.uk.

The public can help reduce wait times by going digital, and thereby free up 999 and 101 for people who really need to speak to the police.

Superintendent Ash Tuckley, who heads the control room, said: “During these unprecedented times, we know that people are worried and they may feel they need to call the police. However we are reminding people that not all calls are emergencies and not all of these require an immediate police response.

“Inevitably what happens is that the queue builds up because everyone is trying to call one central call centre. This can lead to long wait times.

“Last year – 2018/19 – control room operators answered 280,531 calls to the 101 number, averaging 1,178 calls a day, of which 320 were 999 calls. By comparison, on average only 167 crimes were recorded a day.

“The majority of people are already making sacrifices to save lives and we urge everyone in Northamptonshire to follow the advice and help keep us all safe.”

The guidance from the Government on the new measures, and what they mean to you, can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus