GMP plea to think before calling 999 amid weekend surge of calls

Police are urging the public to think before calling 999 following another weekend surge of calls.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said it has seen a "large increase" in operational demand across the region.

The force said lockdown easing, half-term holidays and the sunny weather have all resulted in a rise in calls.

The number is even greater than last weekend and is a significant increase of 32 per cent compared to normal call patterns.

Some 7,024 999 calls were received last Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Based on the numbers of calls from yesterday (June 4 - 2,185 999 calls), the force said it is highly likely the pattern will be matched today (June 5) and Sunday, seeing in excess of 7,000 calls.

At certain times, GMP said up to 60 per cent of 999 calls are not an emergency - causing significant delays in officers responding to emergency calls effectively.

Assistant chief constable Nick Bailey said: "Our call centre is a vital service and all of our call takers work extremely hard to answer thousands of calls every single day.

"The easing of restrictions and the sunny weather will inevitably lead to more calls but there are still a large number of calls that could be resolved quicker by using our online services.

"We're also urging the public to consider whether their query or non-urgent matter can wait until after the weekend if appropriate as the number of calls are expected to continue throughout the weekend.

"The message is clear - if it's not 999, report it online. Our online reporting services are a convenient and effective way of making reports and can be easily accessed by visiting www.gmp.police.uk."

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