THE type of crime you suffer will now dictate when, or if, a police officer will attend.

In a bid to prioritise police response to 999 calls, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has introduced a new grading system to ensure a more efficient use of resources.

There are now five grades of response, the top one requiring a rapid police response within ten minutes of the call being taken when there is a threat to life or risk of serious injury or an immediate threat to property.

The lowest priority, Grade 5, means that calls can be more effectively dealt with over the phone.

Chief Superintendent Stewart Hindley, of GMP's operational communication branch, said: "This means that we can now prioritise incidents for officers to attend much more effectively and make sure we get the right people, to the right place, at the right time."

Under the new system, crimes including burglary, armed robberies, assaults and thefts from cars, have been classed as Grade 1. Distressed elderly people calling about youths causing annoyance outside their homes are Grade 2, or Grade 4 if the problem is not ongoing at the time of the call.

Reports of underage drinking in pubs has been classed as Grade 3 while street robberies which are reported more than an hour after the incident will be Grade 2.

Chief Supt Hindley said: "If someone's life or property is in immediate danger then it is imperative it receives our immediate attention and we get officers there quickly.

"For certain categories of crime, where there is no added value in sending an officer, they can be recorded and investigated through the public assistance desk, which is staffed by very experienced police officers.

"We get far too many 999 calls that range from the simply 'inappropriate', including petty theft and illegal parking, to the downright silly when people ask for football results, taxis, the time, or say they have lost their pet rabbit or they are simply drunk, lost, have no money and want us to take them home!

"This is simply a waste of valuable police time."