A North East police force take longer than any other in the UK to answer 999 calls, new data has revealed.
The Home Office has published 999 league tables for the first time ever in an attempt to improve the speed of the service provided to the general public. They show the time which it takes each police force to answer emergency calls.
On average, over the last six months, Northumbria Police has taken 33.3 seconds to answer 999 calls. They are the only force in the UK to take more than 30 seconds to pick up the phone. The target time for calls to be answered is within 10 seconds.
