Northumbria Police welcomes 17 new specialist contact handlers

The new recruits, who joined shortly after the New Year on an apprenticeship, will be trained to answer both 999 and 101 calls and will help ensure the force can provide the very best service possible to the public.

On average, Northumbria Police receives 850 calls to 999 and 900 calls on the non-emergency 101 number every day – however, not all require a police response and so people are asked to please think twice about their call and whether it requires a police response.

Head of communications Rachel Walters said: “I’m so pleased to welcome our newest recruits into our contact centres.

“Ultimately, our main goal has always been and will always be to ensure that in an emergency, someone is on the other end of the phone to you as quickly as possible – and that they can provide the service and support you need.”