Hampshire police and crime commissioner meets the unsung heroes of the county's emergency services team

By Tom Cotterill
Published 27th Aug 2022, 04:55 BST
Updated 27th Aug 2022, 13:12 BST
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HAMPSHIRE’S police and crime tsar has been given an insight into the unsung heroes of the emergency services after spending a shift with the county’s team of call handlers.

Donna Jones met with control room centre supervisors, specialist officers who are trained to authorise firearm deployments, as well as dispatchers on the motorway desk who are responsible for handling incidents on Hampshire’s major road networks.

It was all part of an effort to give the police and crime commissioner a greater understanding of the complex task call handlers face every day.

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As well as meeting the team, Mrs Jones also listened to a number of calls from people asking for help. From domestic abuse emergencies to questions about non-police business like the hosepipe ban, she witnessed a variety of calls coming in on 999 and 101 on a typical Friday night.

Donna Jones meets the unsung heroes at Hampshire police.Donna Jones meets the unsung heroes at Hampshire police.
Donna Jones meets the unsung heroes at Hampshire police.

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Commissioner Jones said: ‘Hampshire Constabulary is currently advertising vacancies for call handlers and controllers and I wanted to meet the people who are responsible for first contact with the public to get an insight into their challenging and rewarding role.

‘Policing is a career like no other. It certainly has its challenges, but I saw courage, resilience, teamwork and compassion on my visit and I know those who work in the control room and contact centre taking calls and deploying officers make a real difference to the communities they serve.

‘Part of my police and crime plan outlines my commitment to improving the 101 service. I know that police are under pressure to answer calls from the public and I know that call waiting times and limited feedback to crime reports are a real issue for people.

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‘As commissioner, I am doing everything I can to work with senior officers to improve the service. Part of that is ensuring the teams are fully staffed to deal with the demand, that’s both calls and online reports. The Constabulary is currently recruiting controllers and contact management centre officers.

‘No two days are the same, it’s a tough but rewarding job and an important frontline role that we need to get right in order to deliver the best service to the public.’

To apply visit https://www.hampshire.police.uk/ and search ‘contact handlers’.