A county police boss has praised 'significant' improvements in 999 and 101 call responses.

It follows a backdrop of public concern about police responses and resources, including in Pendle.

Police commissioner Clive Grunshaw examined police telephone calls system at his latest accountability board meeting as 'n area of high public concern'.

The closure of many smaller police stations in recent years havs been raised at Lancashire councils such as Pendle.

Complaints there have included the alleged time taken to answer 101 and 999 calls, call-handlers’ geographic knowledge of outlying areas such as West Craven, and times taken for police to arrive at incidents.

Also, Pendle Council heard some 999 calls had reportedly been routed to North Yorkshire Police rather than Lancashire. But this was refuted by BT.

Mr Grunshaw, said Lancashire Police received an average of 838 ‘999’ calls each day in 2024, plus nearly 1,400 non-emergency ‘101' calls and 55 to 60 online crime reports daily.

He believes control room performance has increased significantly, along with the time taken by officers to arrive at incidents.

Between January  and mid-November, 94 per cent of 999 calls were answered within 10 seconds, with an abandonment rate when callers hang-up of 0.2 per cent.

Ninety-three per cent of calls to '101' were answered within 40 seconds, with a 1.4 per cent abandonment rate.

Mr Grunshaw said: “It’s encouraging to hear callers are waiting less time across all calls for someone to answer. I’m pleased to see a renewed focus on online reporting to ensure people have a choice of channels.

“The constabulary has a real focus on early resolution of issues at the first point of contact and identifying those at risk of greatest harm, whatever contact channel they use. I am satisfied the force is ensuring an appropriate response and deploying frontline resources where necessary.”

Chief Constable Sacha Hatchett added: “The marked improvement in both 999 and 101 service to the public is testament to the hard work and dedication of officers and staff.

“Force control rooms handle a huge volume of contact from the public and the complexity is increasing. Add to this on-line contact and social media conversations and the challenges are clear.

“Those who work within the force control room really are on the frontline of policing. They handle thousands of calls around the clock efficiently and empathetically. I am proud of the service they deliver to the public.

“We’ve made significant changes to the force operating model, deployed better technology and improved our processes."