THE drop in waiting times for calls to North Yorkshire Police has been welcomed by the PCC.

Police and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan said the reduction in the average time spent waiting for the non-emergency 101 number - from just over three-and-a-half minutes in August to just over one-and-a-half minutes in November - was due to a series of changes made in the Force Control Room (FCR).

The latest figures were announced ahead of the Police and Crime Panel meeting last Thursday, and Mrs Mulligan said the introduction of operator and call back facilities, a queue-buster system and new employees were key factors in the improvement, which have also seen emergency call waiting times and the number of abandoned calls reduced.

She said: "Of the new recruits planned, 12 Communications Officers have already been trained and accredited to perform their role, and a further 16 are currently undergoing training. In addition 14 dispatchers have been recruited. Six of these are currently in tutorship and will be accredited to carry out their role by early February with a further six set to start work in April.

"I also very much welcome the decision to recruit students in the force control room. As well as the recent recruitment campaign to increase permanent staff numbers to deal with increasing demand, a pool of part time workers who want and need to be flexible around their studies, will help to reduce 101 and 999 waiting times, meanwhile allowing them to gain valuable experience helping a vital public service during its peak times."

Mrs Mulligan said she hoped the improvements would "mean the force control room can better react to changes in demand", as the number of calls to police had been higher this year than ever, but further work would still be carried out.

She said: "I will still be monitoring the situation carefully. We know there is still a long way to go, and I thank members of the public for their patience and understanding as we work to bring about these changes, some of which will take time to implement."