GMP’s ‘headset heroes’ answer over a million calls in a year as response times reach record highs

Friday, 24 October 2025 14:29

By David Murphy

Greater Manchester Police’s control room teams are being recognised for their vital role in emergency response as part of International Control Room Week.

Greater Manchester Police has paid tribute to the frontline staff who answer emergency and non-emergency calls, celebrating what it calls its ‘headset heroes’ as part of International Control Room Week.

The force’s Force Contact, Crime and Operations Branch (FCCO), which handles the public’s first point of contact with the police, dealt with more than 1.3 million enquiries over the last 12 months, including over half a million 999 calls.

Figures released by GMP show they received:

586,312 emergency 999 calls
681,455 non-emergency 101 calls
82,127 LiveChat messages
Total contacts: 1,349,894

That equates to more than 160 calls per hour, every day.

GMP currently ranks fourth highest in the UK for 999 call volume. However, 93% of all 999 calls are now answered within just three seconds, a dramatic turnaround compared to July 2021, when the average wait time was 1 minute 22 seconds.

Emergency incidents are now being attended on average within 7 minutes 51 seconds, well below the 2021 figure of 10 minutes 48 seconds. Priority incidents, which previously took over 21 hours to address, are now responded to within just over an hour on average.

Rebecca Greaney, who leads GMP’s contact management and business transformation, said the improvements were about delivering care as well as speed:

“Offering reassurance to someone who may be frightened and experiencing one of the most distressing moments of their life is crucial. All our staff are highly trained and dedicated to offering care and quality alongside urgency.”

Greaney also urged residents to use the appropriate channels for contacting police. While emergencies should still be reported by dialling 999, other methods like the 101 number, LiveChat and online reporting are more appropriate for non-urgent concerns.

She warned that inappropriate and malicious calls are still an issue:

“These waste our time and take resources away from where they are needed.”

The control room operates 24/7 and is in constant contact with other emergency services to coordinate urgent responses. The department has also introduced the ‘Right Care, Right Person’ initiative, which aims to better direct individuals to other services such as mental health or social care support when police are not the most appropriate agency.