Police Call Handling

Details of a review into call handling within Police Scotland's control centres have been published.

Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary in Scotland was ordered to investigate following the deaths of Yohn Yuill and Lamara Bell.

Their crashed car was reported off the M9 but officers only responded three days later.

HMICS will examine the capacity and capability of call handling systems, available staff and the impact of the restructuring process.

HM Inspector of Constabulary in Scotland, Mr Derek Penman, said: “The aim of the review is to provide the Scottish Government and the Scottish Police Authority with an independent assessment of the operation, systems and procedures in place in call centres across Scotland. 

“It will provide assurance on whether call handling is working effectively and efficiently within Police Scotland. 

“It will examine the capacity and capability of the systems and the staff available in the control centres to manage, answer and prioritise calls. Staff training and the process to ensure that all calls are handled, recorded, dispatched and closed appropriately will also be reviewed. 

“We will review the daily operational business and the wider change programme, including an assessment of the impact of restructuring to date, performance and the delivery of benefits. We will also comment, where appropriate, on the future plans.”

HMICS says the independent review, which is being prioritised within HMICS’ scrutiny programme, will be thorough, evidence-based and will include visits to all Police Scotland call centres. It will audit calls on their journey through the centres and will include engagement with police officers and police staff, unions and staff associations. 

Mr Penman added: “Information we receive this way will be treated in confidence and only for the purposes of this review. It will be used to identify potential strengths and weaknesses and inform specific areas for our scrutiny.”

An interim report will be given to the Cabinet Secretary by the end of August, with the full report completed by the end of October.

Scottish Liberal Democrat Justice spokeswoman Alison McInnes MSP today said it would be fundamentally wrong to sweep problems in police call handling under the carpet: "The reason for this review might be the tragic events around the M9 crash, but concerns over the impact of control room closures have been raised for months. It is vital that the HMICS takes a proper look at the implications of the restructuring and what it has meant for staff and people reporting crimes. It would be fundamentally wrong to sweep these issues under the carpet.

"It is essential that serving police officers and civilian staff have every chance to have their say during this review without fear of adverse consequences for their careers. The commitment from HMICS to listen to police staff and public alike is welcome and they will be held to that.

"We should also not forget that the problems within Police Scotland do not stop with call handling. Whether we are talking about armed police on the streets, the massive use of stop and search and reports of low morale, the case for a wider review of the way that our police force does business is overwhelming."