Summer is always a busy time for policing and while Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary has been working hard to make improvements to reduce call times, the force is asking the public to play their part to help ensure those most in need can get through. Data from the last 3 years show 999 calls increase an average of 21% during the months of June to August. As part of the force’s commitment to continue to drive down call waiting times and help meet Summer demand, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary has made considerable investments; recruiting more staff within contact centres, opening a second call management centre in Portsmouth and launching the innovative Victim’s Portal. The new Portal enables people who have reported a crime to check the status of the investigation and message the officer in charge of their case. Not only does this ensure quicker and more consistent communication for the victim but also bypasses the need for them to call 101, helping keep call volume down. In January 2024 a new contact management centre was opened in Portsmouth to improve the call handling capability across the force, meeting the changing demands. To further reduce the demand on call handlers, and ensure they are able to help those in genuine need as quickly as possible, the force is asking communities to:
- Only call 999 if there is a danger to life, a crime is happening at that time, or has just happened, you have immediate concerns for safety or you see something suspicious that needs immediate attention.
- If you do find yourself dialing 999 by mistake, stay on the line until you’ve spoken to a call handler as this helps us resolve the call more quickly.
- If it’s not an emergency you can call 101, but before you pick up the phone, consider if you can report the matter online.
- You can also attend a police station to make a report in person. Station opening hours can be found at https://www.hampshire.police.uk/contact/find-a-police-station/
Superintendent Rob Brind has said:
“We’re committed to continuing to drive down call waiting times and in the last year have made significant investment in recruiting more staff, opening a second contact management centre and launching the Victim’s Portal, meaning victims can directly message the officer in their case rather than calling through on 101. “We’re already seeing the positive impact these changes have made. “However, we need the help of the community to continue to improve. The number of calls coming in to the police and other agencies tend to increase over the summer months. The fact that there are longer days, warmer weather and tourism coming into Hampshire and the Isle of Wight all play a big part. We need to ensure our lines of contact are used correctly so we can be available to answer 999 calls from people who urgently need our help. “As always, it’s important that people think about how they are going to contact us. “By using these different methods, you will help us prioritise emergency 999 calls to respond to those most in need of assistance, and reduce the amount of unnecessary 101 calls coming in. Being able to answer calls quickly, especially during an emergency, is crucial to helping keep our communities safe.”
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They are a lying bunch of toerags. When my 89 year old mother was attacked in her care home a week ago, I called the police to try and get the attacker sectioned. They did not attend, just told me to go and check that she was alright (she wasn’t, she had cuts on her head), and they would text me a crime report number to use and for me to call back on 101. When I tried calling noone answered the phone, it just rang for 25 minutes. I then texted the officer who had texted me and got absolutely no reply. Absolutely disgusting service from the police. And yet they send an armed response unit to a report of someone stealing a bottle of water! They should be ashamed of themselves.
The advice is,dont bother,they wont do anything anyw@y!
We would be better off if we called the somaretons and pray……Or, tell them that your feelings have been harmed by a right wing 80 year old woman…
Plod are only employed to protect the so called Elite
Tory UK. No police for us, just for the likes of Sunak who stole over £100 million from the tax payer in his RBS scam.
And it will be exactly the same under labour when they get in. Nothing will change.
That link is rubbish! Feed in a Ryde postcode and it tells you to go to Gosport station!!
It shows several stations, including the one in Newport, if you scroll down the list. The ones on the mainland are listed first because they are closer “as the crow flies ” . When / if a station opens in Ryde, that will be added.
Had kids causing issues around Ryde town centre, including stealing alcohol, vaping and causing antisocial behaviour around Coop. Called 101 and was on hold for 30 minutes with no answer. Feel sorry for the shop staff who have nobody to call on to help when kids go wild.
You are wasting your time calling as they have no interest in the public, all they demand are your details and ignore what you are reporting, i called 999 last year to report a male assaulting a woman and despite telling them what was going on and exactly where it was there was no response and the woman only got away by getting on a bus and the driver refusing to let the male on.
A “van lifer” recently assaulted two elderly women in the West Wight but the sergeant who responded refused to take action as he knew the thug and justified its behaviour by saying it had a “brain injury”
The police on the Island are mostly utterly unfit for duty and utterly incompetent.
Plod are only employed to protect the so called Elite.
Phoned the police over 20 years ago to report a rave at Sandown Bay
Vehicles were driving eraticly at speed.
They never showed up.
They were useless then, are they any better now!
Is it still going on now? You’d have thought they might have done something about it after all this time.
They couldn’t stop a Bus at a Bus Stop, yet alone a speeding motorist
All they need to do is follow an Audi or Ford ST
Biggest speeding culprits on the island, especially near Marshcombe Shute
The local pub encourages speeding motorists
You did what ? … so you don’t like the idea of young people having a party ? ..wow what a barrel of laughs you are..