March 04, 2026 - 265 views
Faster call answering times and fresh investment plans were in the spotlight when North Wales’ Police and Crime Commissioner visited the force’s busy communications hub in St Asaph.
Andy Dunbobbin and his deputy Wayne Jones called in at North Wales Police’s Force Communications Centre, based on St Asaph Business Park near the A55, to see first-hand how calls from the public are handled.
The centre, which operates jointly with North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It sits alongside North Wales Police’s divisional headquarters and deals with emergency 999 calls, 101 enquiries, webchat and email contact.
More than 315,000 calls were taken over the past year, with around 1,400 contacts a day on average across all channels. Around 120 communications staff work around the clock, with demand rising sharply during the busy tourist season and public holidays.
During the visit, the Commissioner met senior officers and managers from the control room before touring the centre to watch staff at work. Discussions included the findings of a recent inspection by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, which said the force manages demand well but needed to improve how quickly it responds to some incidents.
Since then, the centre has introduced extra training and invested in new technology aimed at answering calls more quickly and keeping people updated if there is any delay in officers arriving. The changes are beginning to show results.
In December, more than 91 per cent of emergency 999 calls were answered within 10 seconds — the highest figure recorded by the force — with an average answer time of just over five seconds. Call-backs to people reporting non-urgent matters within an hour were running at more than 91 per cent.
Response times on the ground have also improved, with officers now attending incidents in just over nine minutes on average — a strong figure for a largely rural force area. Meanwhile, the average time to answer 101 calls, which has previously been a concern for some residents, has fallen to one minute and 13 seconds, well below the three-minute target.
Further improvements are planned, including the recruitment of 10 additional communications operatives and six switchboard operators, along with more technology upgrades. Work is also continuing with partner agencies to reduce pressure on the 999 system from frequent callers, ensuring people receive help from the most appropriate service.
Superintendent Alwyn Williams, who heads up the control room, said he was proud of his team, describing the centre as a high-pressure environment where staff deal with people at some of the most distressing moments of their lives. He said recent efforts to improve performance were beginning to pay off but added that work was ongoing.
Mr Dunbobbin said response times — particularly for 101 calls — are regularly raised with him by members of the public and remain a key focus of his Police and Crime Plan.
He praised staff for their dedication and said it was encouraging to see people being answered and assisted more quickly than ever before, adding that continued investment would help ensure North Wales remains a safe place to live and visit.
