The timeline of a crime

You call 999, you’re put through to someone, the police arrive. If you’ve ever had to report a crime, those may be the only stages you’re aware of. But behind the scenes a whole machine is working to address the situation, keep you safe and investigate. Though police officers are the face of that machine, they’re not the only ones who are part of it. A whole host of police staff – 40% of the entire police workforce, with  droles as varied as you can imagine – also play a vital role. When you call 999 you’re first put through to a BT Operative. If you need the police, you’ll be connected to a police staff contact handler working in a contact management centre. If you’re in Leicestershire, that could be Louise Ross-Foden. She’s the one who listens to what you tell her about the crime and sets up an incident report on a system called Storm, which kicks off the whole process of dealing with the crime. Louise has been a contact handler for two years. She’s smiley, talkative. She explains that you have to be extremely focused to do her job. “You’ve got two computer screens, you’ve got to be listening to what they’re saying, you’ve got to work out what’s happening and you’ve got to grade the incident.” Grading the incident is key to how the crime is dealt with from that moment on: grade one is an emergency; grade two is a priority; three is a diary response, which means a visit from the police can be scheduled, and four ...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - Category: Food Science Authors: Tags: Magazine cut crime not police staff Source Type: news