999 calls rise in West Mids, reveal police

WEST Midlands Police has reported an increase in the number of 999 calls the force receives.

The force dealt with 665,331 emergency calls in 2016-17 as the number of 999 calls shoots up.

This is an 11 per cent increase on the previous year.

And they received 1.5 million calls to 101, the number for nonemergency issues, which is an increase of 6.4%.

The force covers a population of more than 2.8 million people.

The figures were obtained by the Labour Party , which said growing demands on the police highlighted the foolishness of cuts to funding.

Dave Thompson, Chief Constable of West Midlands Police, warned earlier this year that the force was close to breaking.

Other forces across the country are also dealing with unprecedented demand as emergency calls reach new highs.

The Metropolitan Police, Britain’s largest force, has received a 20% increase and now deals with more than 5 million calls a year.

The average increase in 101 calls is 15.1% and the average increase in emergency 999 calls is 12.3%.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd has insisted that crime is falling despite police cuts.

Speaking on BBC One’s Andrew Marr show on Sunday, she said: “I accept that between 2010 and 15 there were cuts in the police budget, but I would also ask other people to accept that crime came down in that period.

“The fact is crime overall is down by a third since 2010. The police have done a fantastic job in managing with those cuts.”

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