Newham 999 response time waits ‘second worst in London’
The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, pictured with Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick, has come under fire over 999 call response times. Picture: PA IMAGES - Credit: PA Archive/PA Images
Newham has the second longest response time to 999 calls, the latest figures have revealed.
The numbers show officers on average took an hour and 50 minutes between getting a call graded “s” or “significant” – the second highest priority – and turning up at an incident in the borough in June.
This was the second highest time for such calls of the 32 London boroughs and way above the hour laid down by the rules but behind Barking and Dagenham’s two hour high.
London Assembly member Caroline Pidgeon, who uncovered the figures, said: “The severe delays are a serious concern mayor Sadiq Khan needs to address.”
The average response time in January was 55 minutes.
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The borough’s force merged with Waltham Forest’s the following month.
In March the “s” grade response time dropped to 51 minutes then rose to 74 in April.
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A spokesman for the mayor said Sadiq Khan was doing everything he could to protect frontline services under pressure from “reckless” government austerity measures.
He added that “crippling” £1billion government cuts had led to officer numbers dropping below 30,000 in the capital for the first time in more than ten years.
Has being forced to wait for a police response to a 999 call had a serious impact on you? If so we would like to hear from you.
Contact reporter Jon King on 020 8477 3893 or email jonathan.king@archant.co.uk
