Contact and Control Room

Our Contact and Control Room is more than just where we answer 999 calls. We are a small team made up of Police Staff and Police Officers and we deal with a huge variety of demands including:

all 999 emergency calls for Suffolk
all non-emergency enquiries via telephone
all digital contact via email, online reporting and live chat (launching 2022)
dispatching officers throughout the county

Emergency and non-emergency calls

If you dial 999 from anywhere in Suffolk we aim to answer your call within 10 second. In 2021 alone we received over 105,000 999 calls into the Suffolk CCR which is over 287 a day on average. These are our highest priority and can involve very serious incidents that need an emergency Police response.

In 2021 we also received over 170,000 101 non-emergency calls into our Central Call Answering (CCA) switchboard. This is over 467 on average per day. These calls can range from simple administration, to complex questions and even victims of serious offences such as domestic and sexual abuse. Every call is risk assessed using the THRIVE model (Threat, Harm, Risk, Investigation, Vulnerability and Engagement) and we use a cutting-edge IP telephony system to prioritise the calls that are most important so we can help those who need help as quickly as possible. Sometimes this might mean that others have to wait a little longer which is something we are working hard to address.

We also manage a huge amount of digital contact through email, online crime reporting and live chat. This is an area that we see a huge amount of opportunity in for the future and are actively pursuing options to help victims, and our community, contact us in a way they feel comfortable doing so and at a time that is convenient for them.

Police deployments

The CCR uses a highly sophisticated Command & Control system to deploy the right Police resource to the right incident. The CCR manages every type of incident imaginable, from road traffic collisions through to firearm deployments, and all our staff are highly skilled in assessing risk and managing the welfare of both officers and victims.

In an emergency we aim to arrive in an urban area within 15 minutes and within 20 minutes for rural areas. On average about 75% of all calls into the CCR are resolved without a Police officer being sent.

Recruitment

We are always looking for talented individuals to join our team. If you are interested, or just want to know more, then please get in contact.