Your chance to ask the questions at police scrutiny meeting

Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen is inviting residents and businesses to set the tone of her next scrutiny meeting focused on reporting crime and anti-social behaviour.

The Public Accountability Meeting is set to take place on Wednesday 15th October and will give the public the chance to put the Chief Constable and senior officers on the spot with their questions on any issue relating to contacting the police including 999 and the 101 services,one of the public’s top priorities.

Questions must be submitted in advance and will be answered live during the meeting.

Public Accountability Meetings give the PCC a platform to monitor the force’s performance against the key priorities of her new Police, Crime and Justice Plan. They also enable her to hold the Chief Constable and senior officers to account and to identify areas of strong performance and where improvements are needed.

Safer Neighbourhoods

The PCC has promised in her Police,Crime and Justice Plan to improve police performance by dealing with requests for service on 101 and 999 calls more quickly and efficiently. The commitment is one of a series made under her Safer Neighbourhoods priority.

The meeting will hear:

• Despite there being a 9% increase in the number of 101 calls being made to the Force,the average time to answer those routine calls has decreased by 6%.
• There has been positive progress with a 16% increase in the number of 999 calls answered in under 10 seconds and a significant decrease of 48% in the average time it takes the Force to answer a 999 call.

The scrutiny meeting will look at:

• The impact of continuous investment in additional call handlers and switchboard operators.
• The expansion of Switchboard operating times and a Live Chat capability to provide 24-7coverage.
• The effects of a new £1.5m cloud-based telephony system to address delays when calls are transferred.
• The move to the national digital contact platform Single Online Home (allowing the public to report crimes and incidents online).
• The volume of calls being handled by the control room that are non-police related.
• Efforts by the PCC and force to deter inappropriate contact and signpost the public to the right services.

Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen said: “How quickly and effectively we answer the public’s calls for help has been a huge mission for me since I was first elected in 2021.  I know how much this matters to people which is why I invested £1.5m in targetted improvements.  

“These focused efforts alongside continued investment have delivered faster response times and significantly reduced waiting times, with sustained performance year-on-year.

“While the teams are doing a phenomenal job, I want to do even more. This is why I want to hear from residents about their personal experiences of reporting crime whether it is via 999, 101 or online to understand how we can continue to deliver a first-class service. Your views have already driven progress, please help us to do more.”

Residents should send in questions before the deadline of 5pm on Friday 3rd October 2025.

Questions should be submitted to: General.EnquiriesPCC@durham-pcc.gov.uk.

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