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It's #InternationalControlRoomWeek, so here are some truths about what it's like to be a police call handler:
1. We cannot track your mobile phone, but we can request a SPOC check via the control room inspector if it's time/life critical. This is costly and time consuming.
1. We cannot track your mobile phone, but we can request a SPOC check via the control room inspector if it's time/life critical. This is costly and time consuming.
#InternationalControlRoomWeek
2. We have to 'find' the address/street from a predefined list on the system before we can send police. Screaming "The local officers will know it" and slamming the phone down is really unhelpful.
2. We have to 'find' the address/street from a predefined list on the system before we can send police. Screaming "The local officers will know it" and slamming the phone down is really unhelpful.
#InternationalControlRoomWeek
3. Similarly, screaming "Just fucking get here" without passing the location is just as unhelpful, as is ignoring our call backs. Even with the best of intentions, we cannot possibly know every back road, field and five-bar gate in the county.
3. Similarly, screaming "Just fucking get here" without passing the location is just as unhelpful, as is ignoring our call backs. Even with the best of intentions, we cannot possibly know every back road, field and five-bar gate in the county.
#InternationalControlRoomWeek
4. If unlucky, you can tell someone making an inappropriate 999 call to ring 101, then get them on the 101 line straight after. If they recognise your voice, you feel really awkward.
4. If unlucky, you can tell someone making an inappropriate 999 call to ring 101, then get them on the 101 line straight after. If they recognise your voice, you feel really awkward.
#InternationalControlRoomWeek
5. When the call begins, "ARE you a police officer?", "WHAT is your collar number?" or "PUT me through to the chief constable", you just know it's going to be a difficult one.
5. When the call begins, "ARE you a police officer?", "WHAT is your collar number?" or "PUT me through to the chief constable", you just know it's going to be a difficult one.
#InternationalControlRoomWeek
6. Some people call up just to shout abuse, belittle you or threaten to kill you. It's usually the same people, and some do it upwards of fifty times a day. Others call up to try and illicit a response so they can upload the recording to YouTube.
6. Some people call up just to shout abuse, belittle you or threaten to kill you. It's usually the same people, and some do it upwards of fifty times a day. Others call up to try and illicit a response so they can upload the recording to YouTube.
#InternationalControlRoomWeek
7. If you're 25 and your electricity has gone, I'll politely tell you it's not a police matter. If you're 85, alone and upset because your electricity has gone, I'll get someone, somewhere, somehow, to help you.
7. If you're 25 and your electricity has gone, I'll politely tell you it's not a police matter. If you're 85, alone and upset because your electricity has gone, I'll get someone, somewhere, somehow, to help you.
#InternationalControlRoomWeek
8. Sometimes the nature of the call is so unprecedented, that there is no policy, case study or any other source material that will help you deal with it. The inspector will have never dealt with it either.
8. Sometimes the nature of the call is so unprecedented, that there is no policy, case study or any other source material that will help you deal with it. The inspector will have never dealt with it either.
#InternationalControlRoomWeek
9. There are no scripts, we don't read from crib sheets and there is nobody telling us what to say. We are not bound to our desks and sometimes you've just got to get up and take a break.
9. There are no scripts, we don't read from crib sheets and there is nobody telling us what to say. We are not bound to our desks and sometimes you've just got to get up and take a break.
#InternationalControlRoomWeek
10. Sometimes you do something that saves somebody's life, or makes such an immense positive difference to them, that you remember it for the rest of your life.
10. Sometimes you do something that saves somebody's life, or makes such an immense positive difference to them, that you remember it for the rest of your life.
#InternationalControlRoomWeek
11. You will meet and work with some of the most amazing and talented people you can imagine.
11. You will meet and work with some of the most amazing and talented people you can imagine.
#InternationalControlRoomWeek
12. Some people call up asking to be put through to the 'desk sergeant', even though such a phenomenon hasn't existed since the 1990s.
12. Some people call up asking to be put through to the 'desk sergeant', even though such a phenomenon hasn't existed since the 1990s.
#InternationalControlRoomWeek
13. An abandoned/silent 999 call can take between 5-10 minutes to resolve, with all the research and call backs required. This is at the expense of others trying to get through on 101 and 999.
13. An abandoned/silent 999 call can take between 5-10 minutes to resolve, with all the research and call backs required. This is at the expense of others trying to get through on 101 and 999.
#InternationalControlRoomWeek
14. You will often feel misunderstood, underappreciated and overlooked, but with the right boss with the right attitude, your experience will be far from it.
14. You will often feel misunderstood, underappreciated and overlooked, but with the right boss with the right attitude, your experience will be far from it.
#InternationalControlRoomWeek
Oh, I forgot to add that we type 'MALE LAYING IN ROAD' a lot, especially on Friday/Saturday nights.
Oh, I forgot to add that we type 'MALE LAYING IN ROAD' a lot, especially on Friday/Saturday nights.
