CHIEF Constable Shaun Sawyer has promised to improve the performance of Devon and Cornwall Police’s criticised 101 non-emergency phone system.

He has given himself and the force just six months for the slow and under-performing service to improve.

His comments came after police and crime commissioner Tony Hogg promised to boost the under-fire facility with a £250,000 improvement programme.

Mr Sawyer in a public statement issued today (thurs) said: ‘I give you my commitment that in six months from now the performance of the 101 non-emergency system will be on an improving trajectory to deliver an acceptable service to the public.’

He was happy that the 999 operation remained strong, despite high demands put upon it. But he accepted there was room for improvement with the 101 regime which absorbs non-emergency calls.

‘Our 101 service is not as good as we want it to be. I must add that this is absolutely not a criticism of the men and women who work in the control rooms in Plymouth and Exeter. These people have an incredibly challenging role and I am grateful for their hard work and commitment,’ he said.

He admitted the management of non-emergency calls to police was ‘an incredibly complex area.’

He explained: ‘A fundamental part of the performance improvement to the 101 service was the introduction of a new telephony system. 

‘This was expected to be in place by autumn 2015. This will address many of the points made in the commissioner’s report. Unfortunately in final testing last year, a vulnerability was found that would put the force network at an unacceptable risk and further software development is now being undertaken with a re-scheduled delivery in May 2016.’

He added: ‘This delay in introducing the new telephony system is incredibly frustrating for us as we know this will be a significant step forward in delivering a 101 service the people of Devon and Cornwall rightly expect.

‘We know that the more calls we can deal with at the first point of contact is cost efficient and quicker for the caller.  Progress is being made in this area.  For example, 67 per cent of all calls we receive are through 101 and we are now resolving 40 per cent of those calls at the switchboard without passing the call on to another unit or person. That is a significant improvement compared to 12 months ago.’

He welcomed the support and commitment from the commissioner and his generous offer of a cash injection up to £250,000. 

‘This is a significant sum which I will seek to put to good use to address those areas where an increase in budget will accelerate the delivery of improvements to the 101 service,’ he said.