More emergency response police would make public safer - Dakers

1.07.38am GMT Mon 13th Dec 2004

Lynne Featherstone and police

A detailed new examination of 999 emergency police call outs released by the London Assembly Liberal Democrats has uncovered a marked deterioration in response times right across the capital.

The Met Police have targets to make sure that all highest priority 999 emergency call outs are responded to within 12 minutes. The figures taken and analysed by the Liberal Democrats from Mayoral Answers, show that:

• The number of highest priority 999 police calls responded to within the target of 12 minutes has fallen from 75.2% in December 2002, to just 70.63% in October 2004

• The Met Police wide average response time has exceeded the 12-minute target for every month of the last year. In the worst month, the target was missed by around 25%, with average response times taking almost 15 minutes

• 19 out of 33 (58%) of Boroughs have slower average emergency response times compared to last year

Hounslow was one of the 5 Boroughs with the poorest record of attending emergency 999 police calls within 12 minutes were:

• Bromley with 44% of callouts outside target

• Waltham Forest with 42% of callouts within target

• Hounslow with 41% of callouts outside target

• Brent with 37% of callouts outside target

• Barking and Dagenham with 36% of callouts outside target

In April 2004, the Met highlighted that it was 1,000 drivers short in London Boroughs.

Commenting on the figures, London Assembly Policing Spokesperson Lynne Featherstone said,

"When faced with an emergency, members of the public have a right to expect the police to get to the scene quickly. What is clear from these figures is that you get a slower service if you live in outer London compared to inner London.

"Poor response times to 999 calls by the police puts the public's safety at risk as a delay in responding to an emergency call could mean the difference between life and death, or catching a criminal and letting them escape.

"The police clearly have a lot of work to do. Londoners will want to know why response times are getting worse when police numbers and investment in policing are up - especially when another significant hike in the police precept on our Council Tax is more than likely."

Liberal Democrats will ensure there are 10,000 more police officers on UK streets to cut down on crime, claims Andrew Dakers, the party's Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Brentford & Isleworth.

Speaking after the plans were agreed at the recent Liberal Democrat party conference, Andrew Dakers said,

"I have been very impressed by the professionalism of members of the local force I have recently met and are working hard to serve the public. However they are being stretched desperately thin.

"Labour have tried to give the impression they are tough on crime through headline grabbing initiatives. But the reality is that we need more police officers on the streets of Hounslow, Brentford, Isleworth and Chiswick and a boost in the number of Immediate Response Vehicle drivers to make the public safer. It should be recognised that response times in Hounslow suffer particularly from our geography covering a long narrow area between Hammersmith and the Middlesex/Surrey borders.

"I will be seeking a meeting at the earliest opportunity with the new Chief Superintendent of the Met in Hounslow Borough, Dr. Ali Dizaei, to discuss how more people can be recruited and retained in the police force as a whole and within the Hounslow area in particular.

"In the General Election next year, the choices on tackling crime will be clear: the Conservatives' completely uncosted and unbelievable promises they can't deliver, Labour's unworkable gimmicks and headlines, or the Liberal Democrats' plans for more police working more effectively."