LANCASHIRE Constabulary is changing the way it reacts to calls in a bid to improve public perception of its response.

After a successful pilot in Pennine Division, the Public Assistance and Service Standards (PASS) protocol is to be rolled out across the force. The system sets out response times to all calls to the police, not just emergencies.

Chief Supt Jerry Graham, Head of Pennine Division, said: "We ran a pilot that involved quality of service training for all our communications room staff. We monitored our performance closely throughout October with such impressive results (95 per cent of emergency calls and 93 per cent of non-emergency calls answered within target) that the planned rollout across the force was brought forward.

"What PASS allows us to achieve is a clear and consistent grading policy that replaces the unofficial, local arrangements currently in place.

"It will help us provide a higher quality of service to our communities by allowing us to prioritise incidents for officers to attend.

"In this way we will be able to tackle the huge demands we face on a daily basis much better by managing our workload and time more effectively.

"However, we are not complacent and recognise that we may not get it right every time.

"This new response policy is just the start of one of the most significant changes the force has ever introduced."