Some victims of crime are facing a delay of up to 13 hours for police to attend “priority” calls, it was said.
Data disclosed by forces revealed burglary and domestic abuse victims held on for an average of three hours and twelve minutes for officers to arrive in 2022, compared to one hour and 48 minutes in 2020. But many communities faced far longer waits last year.
In Birmingham West, police took 13 and a half hours to respond to “priority” calls, it was said.
Victims in Aylesbury Vale, which is covered by Thames Valley Police, waited nearly 11 hours for a response.
Those in Surrey were forced to wait nearly seven and a half hours on average in 2022 – more than three times the average wait time in 2020. Some 19 forces missed the target of responding within an hour, it was found.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman has ordered police to “go back to basics” to restore confidence in Britain’s officers.
But the Liberal Democrats said the police data has exposed a “postcode lottery” of response times. Party leader Ed Davey said: “People deserve a swift response from the police when they’ve been the victim of a crime, wherever they are.
“Yet years of ineffective resourcing of local police forces by the Conservative Party has created a disturbing postcode lottery, with victims left waiting hours on end for an officer to turn up. This is not only forcing crime victims to put up with agonising waits, it also means they could be denied justice in the process.
“Crucial evidence and witnesses are at risk of being lost during these long wait times – and that’s unforgivable. The Home Secretary needs to focus on getting the basics right, instead of endless gimmicks that do nothing to keep our communities safe.
“It’s time to finally restore proper community policing, so that people can be confident the police will turn up and investigate properly when they fall victim to crime.”
The Home Office has insisted police forces now have record numbers of officers.
And they want chiefs to focus on solving crimes, with forces vowing to follow every “reasonable” lead in a bid to catch more offenders. Mrs Braverman said the boost in officer numbers would mean “more police on the beat preventing violence, solving burglaries and cracking down on antisocial behaviour”.
A Home Office spokesman said: “We expect all police forces to promptly respond to 999 calls to ensure they meet incident response times and protect victims. The Home Secretary has been clear that she wants forces to take a zero-tolerance approach to crime and get the basics right.”
The National Police Chiefs’ Council said improving police response times is a priority.
A spokesman said: “Efficient response times help protect and safeguard the public, support investigations, gather evidence and bring offenders to justice.”
