Councillors call for police phone line improvements
A REVAMP of the 101 line used by the public to report incidents to Dyfedpowys Police has been called for by Carmarthenshire councillors, who heard that some people had given up trying to get through.
Councillors supported a motion which said residents were finding it difficult to access the non-emergency number because of long delays in answering, although many abstained.
The motion called on the force’s new chief constable Richard Lewis to initiate a revamp of the call system which would rebuild people’s confidence in phoning 101, which would in turn provide more accurate crime and disorder statistics.
It was introduced by Cllr John James, who said 101 was an excellent concept.
But he said: “Residents have given up reporting anti-social behaviour and other crimes because they can’t get through on this number.”
The Labour councillor also said incident numbers weren’t being given to callers who did get through.
And he cited a Freedom of Information response from Dyfed-powys Police which revealed that 3,503 calls to 101 went unanswered between January 1 and June 30 this year.
Cllr James’ motion acknowledged the professionalism and efforts of the force, but he feared fewer police resources would be allocated to areas if fewer crimes were reported because people were frustrated with 101.
Council leader Emlyn Dole said he would abstain as this was an issue for the force’s police and crime commissioner Dafydd Llywelyn, who, he said, had tendered a contract for an upgrade of the 101 and 999 service.
The Plaid leader said Mr Llywelyn had promised in his latest police and crime plan that the public would receive an accessible and responsive service, and that the upgrade would take place in the 2022-23 financial year.
“This renders this motion completely irrelevant,” he said.
Labour councillor John Prosser, who sits on the Dyfed Powys police and crime panel which scrutinises the work of the commissioner, said two reports by government inspectors had criticised the force’s 101 service.
Some callers, he said, were either not getting through or not being given an incident number when they did, although he added a lot of work was being done to improve the situation.
Independent councillor Philip Hughes said the motion should have been submitted to the Dyfed Powys police and crime panel, not the council, while Plaid councillor Ken Howell asked why Cllr Prosser hadn’t brought the 101 issue up at police and crime panel meetings.
Some councillors said their experience of 101 was good; others said it wasn’t.
Labour councillor Dot Jones said she’d hung up a 101 call after waiting more than 40 minutes.
Independent councillor Alan Speake said three calls he’d made to the service in the past year or so had been answered quickly.
Before the vote was taken, Cllr James said he took “a bit of umbrage” at claims that he hadn’t done any research. He said he had approached Mr Llywelyn, and the advice he’d received was that it “was nothing to do” with the commissioner, although he could influence the 101 issue. Cllr James said he was advised that the chief constable would have to “put his name on it”.
Speaking afterwards, Plaid police and crime commissioner Mr Llywelyn said he monitored the performance of the 101 line and that changes were under way. He added that the new police and crime plan would be published in the coming weeks.
“I am pleased to be able to announce that I have authorised the purchase of a new telephony system for the force command and control centre that will be introduced in 2022 to improve efficiency,” said Mr
Llywelyn.