North Yorkshire Police’s Tweetathon returns for summer 2022

From a missing kebab; to a naked man at the scene of a car crash in Northallerton; and a couple having an intimate moment by some garages behind a Scarborough hotel, these are just some of the calls we received when North Yorkshire Police did their last Tweetathon at Christmas.

From 2pm on Friday (19 August 2022) to 2am on Saturday (20 August 2022) the force will tweet every call that comes into them during a 12-hour period via the North Yorkshire Police Twitter account @NYorksPolice with the hashtag #NYPfor12.

As anticipated, the force has seen exceptional high levels of demand during July and August. North Yorkshire Police handled 33,221 calls in total during July, 10,490 of which were ‘999’ emergency calls, which is not only the highest July volumes in history recorded for the force, but their highest month on record.

Several factors have led to this increase which include the easing of covid restrictions as well as the recent spike in good weather. The county also sees a large influx of visitors on holiday in North Yorkshire during the summer months which factors in the increased calls to service.

Behind every 999 call, 101 call and online report in North Yorkshire is the same dedicated team of people handling those reports, 24 hours a day. The team are based at the Force Control Room in York and are often described as the “Heroes in headsets.”

As well as dealing with members of the public, staff in the control room also deploy police officers and take control of incidents.

Superintendent Jason Dickson, Head of Customer Contact at North Yorkshire Police, said:

“The Tweetathon is always popular as it shows the public the variety of calls that our communications officers deal with daily.

“I hope that publicly highlighting the volume of incidents encourages people to think about the importance of only using 999 if it’s a genuine emergency.

“Friday, and the weekend, are expected to busy for us, but I am confident that our dedicated team in the force control room are well-rehearsed and prepared for what’s ahead. I would like to thank the force control room team for their high levels of commitment and professionalism at a time when we are seeing exceptional demand.”

This week, members of the public will be given an insight into the volume of calls that the force deals with during their summer Tweetathon event, including the amount of inappropriate, ‘pocket dials’, or misdirected calls.

Superintendent Dickson continued:

“It is not appropriate to ring 999 because your taxi hasn’t arrived or because you’ve got a complaint about a pizza you’ve bought from a takeaway after a night out, or because you can’t get hold of the service you need. We are an emergency service, and it is vital that we are able to respond to those who need us most.

 

“There are also a significant number of calls that come through to us unnecessarily where the caller should have directed their call to an alternative and more appropriate agency or service and not the police.

“We also receive many calls where the caller has accidently “pocket dialled” us or given their phone to a child who accidently calls our emergency number. In this instance, our Communications Officers must spend time calling the person back to check it not a genuine emergency. This means they are unavailable to answer incoming calls.

“We take hundreds of calls every day and want to be able to deliver an exemplary service to everyone who contacts us.

“But these nuisance or misdirected calls may stop us from getting help for a vulnerable person in need so all we would ask is that you think twice before picking up the phone and ringing the police on 999 if it is not an emergency.”

As well as Twitter, updates throughout the Tweetathon will also be posted on North Yorkshire Police Facebook page (www.Facebook.com/NorthYorkshirePolice) and Instagram account (www.instagram.com/NorthYorkshirePolice).

The last Tweetathon was held in December 2021 and showcased the usual variety of incidents that the force deals with during the festive period.

This week, in addition to dealing with the normal demand, North Yorkshire Police will deploy officers to York Racecourse for the annual Ebor racing festival.

The popular four-day event which is held from Wednesday to Sunday will sees thousands of visitors descend on York.

The increase of visitors coupled with the expected normal demand could make this Tweetathon one of the busiest that the force has ever seen.

Note to the media

North Yorkshire Police invites representatives from the media to attend the Force Control Room for an interview opportunity for this event at 1.30pm on Friday 19 August 2022. If you would like to attend this press call, please email NYP Corporate Communications Manager Will Smith ([email protected] ) to confirm attendance by 5pm on Wednesday 17 August 2022.

 

 

Notes to editors

 

999 and 101 in figures

2021

• There were 8,984 emergency calls taken in June 2021,
• 9,689 emergency calls taken in July 2021
• 9,572 emergency calls taken in August 2021
• 14,912 non-emergency calls made to 101 in June 2021,
• 15,412 non-emergency calls in July 2021
• 14,395 non-emergency calls in August 2021

 

2022

• May was the busiest month in 2022 with 8,847 emergency calls and 13,859 non-emergency calls.
• 9,988 emergency and 12,450 non-emergency calls taken in June 2022
• In June 2022, North Yorkshire Police deployed over 8,500 officers to over 2,600 emergency incidents that require an immediate response with the first officer arriving on average within 11 minutes of being deployed.
• In addition, over 5,400 officers were deployed to 2,500 priority incidents with the first officer on average arriving within 35 minutes of being dispatched. These deployments primarily in response to emergency calls for service handled through the Force Control Room.
• 6,535 emergency and 8,055 non-emergency calls so far in July 2022

 

The length of call handled on 101 has increased from 6 mins 41 seconds in 2021, to 7mins 15 in 2022 to date, which is significantly increased from 2020 at 6mins 15 seconds.

 

Those considering calling 999 are asked to consider the following before dialling:

 

• Is this a police issue or is another service better suited?
• Is the information already on the police website? Check www.northyorkshire.police.uk
• Has a crime already happened, and you want to report it, or you have information about an incident? You can report it online at www.northyorkshire.police.uk
• Do you want to share some information with police or speak to someone specific? Call the non-emergency 101 number
• Is it an emergency? Is a crime happening right now, or is life or property at risk? Call 999

 

Contact the right agency and help to keep the force’s phonelines free for emergencies

 

• Noise complaints – learn more: Nuisance noise | North Yorkshire Police
• Nuisance parking – learn more: Nuisance parking and abandoned vehicles | North Yorkshire Police
• Civil disputes – learn more: Report a civil dispute | North Yorkshire Police
• Animal problems – learn more: Animal crime | North Yorkshire Police
• Roadworks, road closures– learn more: Roadworks, road closures and diversions
• Fly tipping – learn more: Fly-tipping and other littering | North Yorkshire Police