Police better at answering 999 calls, inspectors say

Cambridgeshire Police has made "substantial improvements" in how quickly it responds to calls and incidents, inspectors have found.

Concerns were raised during assessments of the force's performance between 2023 and 2025.

However, following a reinspection in June 2026, His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) said significant progress was made, with 92.6% of emergency calls answered within 10 seconds.

Chief Constable Simon Megicks said: "Colleagues across the organisation have worked tirelessly to strengthen our control room, improve our governance and performance oversight, and officers have ensured we respond more effectively to those who need us most."

HMICFRS said that during its earlier police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy inspection, the force was found to be inadequate at responding to the public.

In the year ending 30 June 2023, 80.1% of 999 calls were answered within 10 seconds, below the 90% target expected of forces in England and Wales.

Performance dipped further in September 2023, when just 71.2% of emergency calls were answered within that timeframe.

Inspectors said the force had since strengthened its governance arrangements and improved both attendance times and call handling. Response times and performance are now closely monitored at constabulary, inspector and sergeant level.

The report also found the proportion of callers abandoning non-emergency 101 calls had fallen significantly.

While further improvements are still needed in non-emergency call handling and emergency response times, inspectors said clear plans were in place to continue that progress.

Police and Crime Commissioner Darryl Preston said: "While recognising increasing demand across our county, getting this right is vital to improving public trust and confidence."

Megicks added: "While we are proud of the progress made, we are not complacent and recognise there is more to do to ensure these improvements are sustained by continuing to reduce wait times for non-emergency callers and improve our response to incidents."

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