Suffolk launches digital desk to improve accessibility to public

Suffolk Constabulary has introduced a digital desk in its Contact and Control Room (CCR) to improve its online communication to non-emergency enquiries that are made via its website and social media.

The new Digital Public Contact Engagement Desk (DPCED) launched last week, Monday 11 March, and will be staffed every day, between the hours of 7am and 10pm, to allow for greater flexibility in how the public communicates with Suffolk police for non-emergency matters.

The dedicated digital desk team sits within the CCR and is responsible for all digital communications from members of the public and partner agencies.

The team will triage online reports from the force website, manage emails from partner agencies and monitor comments and direct messages on the constabulary’s Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) pages, including the local accounts. These will then be processed appropriately and actioned by the relevant team or department where necessary.

The team will also respond in real time to Live Chat enquiries, which is now available every day between 8am and 9:30pm.

Although social media and Live Chat are not a reporting tool, the introduction of the new digital desk means an improved service to members of the public who wish to engage with Suffolk police through digital means for general enquiries, advice or support for any non-urgent concerns or policing matters.

Assistant Chief Constable Eamonn Bridger said: “We understand that more and more people engage online and that many are more comfortable using digital services than speaking on the phone. We want to improve our accessibility to the public by enhancing our digital communication and allow them the flexibility of communicating with us in a way that is easier and more convenient for them.

“We also want to make ourselves more accessible for those who are hard of hearing or speech impaired, and extend our hours of availability on Live Chat - which automatically translates up to 100 languages - to improve our service to those where English is not their first language.

“The DPCED will treat any communication received through digital channels in exactly the same way as our call takers manage a call in the CCR. The aim is to give members of the public swift responses to their non-urgent queries to help reduce our call demand and waiting times. We hope that by providing an improved and more efficient digital service to the public, more people will consider contacting us online rather than picking up the phone for non-emergency matters.”

The DPCED will be run by 12 staff who will work across three teams on a shift pattern. The team is a combination of new staff to the organisation and experienced control room staff, including call takers, dispatchers and supervisors.

The digital desk is part of the long-term transformation the constabulary has been undertaking within its control room to improve its service to the public. It has been achieved largely by the investment from the council tax precept in the 2022/23 financial year.

Assistant Chief Constable Bridger added: “We are constantly looking at ways in which to improve our service to the public and our new digital desk will ensure that we are available, accessible and responsive to our communities.

“While we are doing everything we can to make our processes more effective, I want to remind people to contact us because they need us. If you have an emergency, where a life is in danger or a crime is in progress, you should still call 999.”

Suffolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner Tim Passmore said: “Times change and it important that the Constabulary adapts to meet the changing communication demands of the public.

“How we engage with each other has transformed dramatically over the last decade, with many of us using digital media rather than talking over the phone.  The so-called Digital Desk will now allow the public to engage with the Constabulary for non-emergency enquiries in the format that suits them best and I fully support this new service which was funded through this year’s council tax investment.”

To report something, visit: https://www.suffolk.police.uk/ro/report/

For advice regarding crime prevention, anti-social behaviour, animal protection and many other matters, visit: https://www.suffolk.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/

The Live Chat function appears as an icon at the bottom right of select pages on the Suffolk police website, including the home page, and will open as a chat messenger. It can be accessed via a desktop computer, laptop, tablet or a mobile phone.