Calls to police down over Christmas

Leicestershire police say they had 500 fewer calls over the festive period.

Collectively on 24, 25, 26, 31 December and 1 January, the force received a total of 5,120 calls to 999 and 101 compared to a total of 5,620 calls to 999 and 101 for the same dates last year.

Superintendent Grant Wills, Head of Contact Management Department (CMD), said: “Very similar to 2018, the force received a substantial number of calls both to the 999 and 101 systems over Christmas and New Year.

“It is very welcoming to see such a reduction on last years figures and I would like to thank the public for only calling us in a genuine emergency or for police assistance.

“Despite 500 fewer calls, Christmas and New Year still puts a significant amount of demand on the department and I would like to thank all those involved in working hard to deliver this service to the public.”

Chief Constable Simon Cole said: “New Year was particularly busy for us with 243 emergency 999 calls received between midnight and 3am.

“This resulted in a huge team effort by colleagues in CMD to answer and deal with these calls and action where police attendance was needed.

"A large amount of planning goes into policing Christmas and New Year to ensure a high number of officers and staff are providing proactive high visibility patrols and quick and effective responses to incidents throughout the force area.

“Our dedicated Christmas campaign featured heavily on our social media channels to encourage people to be safe and drink responsibly and I hope that this messaging has been successful in contributing to this call reduction.

"We are very grateful to our partners for their support across the festive period. East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS), Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) and other agencies worked hard in planning and delivering a safer Christmas and New Year period. We were also thankful to our own volunteers and special constables as well as street pastors for their amazing efforts.

“2019 has been a demanding year for the force but I am extremely pleased that we were able to start 2020 on this note and I would like to thank the people of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland for acting responsibly and celebrating safely.