Call handling arrangements creating 'additional risk', warns review

Diverting unanswered calls from understaffed police control rooms in the north of Scotland to the central belt is “creating additional risk”, inspectors have warned.

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS) today issued its interim report on call handling within Police Scotland following the deaths of a couple found in a crashed car three days after the accident was first reported.   

Inspectors praise control room staff throughout Scotland, who remain "strongly committed, in often challenging circumstances, to providing a good service to the public".  

HMICS found that a force target to have 90 per cent of 999 and 101 calls answered within 10 seconds and 40 seconds respectively is being met in the three central belt control rooms.

However, Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness are currently failing the target for non-emergency 101 calls as “pressure of call demand on remaining staff remains unacceptably high”.

Current police practice of diverting such unanswered ‘overflow’ calls to control rooms in the central belt is “creating additional risk”, HMICS found.

This is because, in the absence of a single national command and control system, incidents are passed back to the north area control rooms typically via makeshift arrangements such as an email then follow-up phone call.

HMICS intimates that staffing levels in Govan, Motherwell and Bilston Glen are insufficient to cope with additional call demand from the north with “stable systems and processes” needed to be put in place.

The body recommends that Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness control rooms remain open and “staffed appropriately” until the new area control room in Dundee is fully operational, even if this means a delay to current control room closure plans.

Police Scotland has also been urged to accelerate the recruitment of staff and commission the north area control room sooner than initially planned with the single force likely to require "additional resources".

“HMICS recognises the constraints placed upon Police Scotland as a result of staff shortages in Bilston Glen, Inverness, Aberdeen and Dundee, but considers that the practice of diverting overflow calls to the main sites in Govan, Motherwell and Bilston Glen is creating additional risk,” said HM Inspector of Constabulary for Scotland, Derek Penman. 

“This will not be resolved until there is a full complement of trained staff supported by effective systems, processes and procedures in the main sites and we strongly believe that, until that is the case, the facilities in Inverness, Aberdeen and Dundee should remain in place.”

A questionnaire launched by HMICS last month has received nearly 4,000 responses, almost half of these coming from police officers and staff. 

Inspectors are also in the process of reviewing over 1,500 documents as well as auditing 1,500 calls made to the police via 999 and the non-emergency 101 number ahead of their final report, which is expected at the end of next month.

This report will examine the wider context, such as overall staffing levels, staff experience and training provided, as well as the “stability of current ICT systems” used in control rooms across Scotland.

Justice Secretary Michael Matheson ordered the review in July following the deaths of John Yuill and Lamara Bell in a crash on the M9 motorway near Stirling.

The pair were found by officers three days after an initial call was made to Police Scotland which reported their car was off the road.

Sir Stephen House announced last week that he will stand down from his post as chief constable on December 1 rather than see out his contract through to next year.

Matheson will deliver a ministerial statement later on the initial HMICS report as well as another on stop and search by solicitor advocate John Scott QC, which is also being published today.