West Yorkshire Police: On shift with the 999 call handlers

West Yorkshire Police person 1,300 exigency calls a time - varying from life-or-death situations to the "ridiculous". The BBC's Tom Airey spent a time with the squad which claims the champion grounds successful the state for 999 telephone responses.

When telephone handler Rebecca Starling accepted a 999 telephone made from a mobile telephone adjacent a motorway bridge, she rapidly realised the seriousness of the situation.

"It was the archetypal telephone I'd ever dealt with wherever I thought - helium is going to jump," recalls Ms Starling.

"You could perceive the postulation underneath.

"I was speaking to idiosyncratic who was astir to propulsion themselves disconnected a bridge."

While keeping a speech going, Ms Starling worked retired the man's determination from geographical clues helium shared and logged the telephone arsenic an emergency, with constabulary diverted to the scene.

"I had nary thought however agelong it would instrumentality the officers to get there, truthful we scrabbled astir for things to speech about," the 39-year-old says.

Two passing members of the nationalist rugby-tackled the antheral conscionable arsenic officers were approaching, portion Ms Starling shouted instructions to them down the phone.

"I kept him talking and I'm truthful arrogant of that call," she said.

"We got him disconnected the span and made definite helium got the assistance helium needed, it was specified a affirmative happening retired of a hopeless situation."

Tom Donohoe, elder interaction manager astatine the Dudley Hill interaction absorption centre successful Bradford, says Ms Starling showed each the attributes required for a palmy outcome.

"Compassion is apical of the list, it mightiness beryllium the lone clip they've ever rung america and it mightiness beryllium successful life-changing circumstances," helium says.

The 4th largest constabulary unit successful England and Wales is marking a landmark 5 years without failing to reply a 999 call, thought to beryllium a nationalist record.

Zoe Riddiough, a interaction supervisor, is shuffling her unit astir to marque definite determination are capable handlers to lucifer the existent request of 999 calls, 101 enquiries and the force's online services.

"Tonight is going to beryllium a struggle, we're understaffed," she says, portion looking astatine the rota for the force's interaction centres successful Bradford and Wakefield.

It's already a busier-than-usual time for the force, which is handling a large royal sojourn to the city.

"You tin spot him determination successful the grey jacket," says Ms Riddiough, pointing to King Charles III connected a unrecorded CCTV link.

As the King shakes hands with young leaders from the territory wrong City Hall, constabulary are keeping a adjacent oculus connected a tiny radical of protesters holding placards extracurricular the civic building.

The telephone handlers are hoping determination won't beryllium occupation - immoderate other request connected constabulary resources means determination are less officers to respond to emergencies elsewhere.

Source: West Yorkshire Police

The interaction centre, adjacent to a engaged junction successful southbound Bradford, could beryllium mistaken for immoderate different bustling telephone centre business, isolated from tell-tale screens connected the walls sharing the all-important statistic of however galore calls are waiting and the mean clip it is taking to reply them.

Glancing up astatine 1 of the screens, interaction supervisor Vince Stevens says: "It's 1 of the astir demanding jobs I've ever travel across, and I've been a bull for 30 years, due to the fact that of the axenic volumes."

About 95% of nationalist interaction with West Yorkshire Police comes done its 2 interaction centres, with inappropriate calls causing a regular headache for already stretched staff.

The unit says these relationship for 15-20% of each 999 oregon 101 calls and thin to get during the busiest times of the shift.

"We grip ridiculous 999 calls connected a regular basis," says Ms Starling.

During this displacement truthful far, her chap 999 telephone handlers person spoken to idiosyncratic complaining an Amazon parcel transportation hadn't arrived and different who said idiosyncratic was "being rude" to them connected Facebook.

"I erstwhile got a 999 telephone from a woman successful West Yorkshire who said her friend, who lives successful Greece, had a stray feline successful the location and she was frightened of it," says Natalie O'Shea, 32, a interaction serviceman who has conscionable marked 2 years connected the team.

The centres employment astir 215 staff, moving a assortment of shifts to supply around-the-clock assistance.

Many typically enactment 10-hour shifts connected a six days on, 4 days disconnected pattern, with a existent recruitment thrust looking to bolster parts of the stretched rota.

West Yorkshire Police telephone statistic for 8 November

New recruits, who often person nary erstwhile constabulary experience, typically spell done a rigorous 3 months of training, with a squad of trainees successful the country adjacent doorway learning the ropes.

The force's interaction officers gain a wage of astir £28,500 astatine archetypal appointment.

"We bring candidates into a country and we play them sanitised versions of the calls they would perceive portion connected the phones," Mr Donohoe says.

"There's nary shame successful this, but 3 oregon 4 radical successful each radical volition accidental 'thanks, but nary thanks' and disconnected they go."

Nick Raleigh, a 43-year-old interaction serviceman who was a caller enlistee 3 months ago, says: "I've had immoderate atrocious calls to woody with, rapes and things similar that - worldly you cognize you're going to beryllium getting but until you get that telephone you don't cognize however you're going to respond to.

"At the extremity of the telephone you cognize you person helped them successful their infinitesimal of need, and that's the crushed I came to the role."

The unit says unit are fixed quiescent rooms to "decompress", with enactment groups and adjacent links with intelligence wellness charities successful spot to guarantee unit person the indispensable support.

Mr Donohoe, who is retiring successful December and started his constabulary vocation successful 1992 arsenic a telephone handler, says he's "very proud" of the force's grounds of answering each 999 telephone swiftly, but admits it tin often pb to shortages elsewhere.

"Sometimes our 101 work suffers due to the fact that of the magnitude we absorption connected 999," helium says.

"We request to amended the nationalist to region that 20% of non-police calls truthful our 101 work becomes arsenic bully arsenic our 999 service.

"We've got the 2 easiest numbers to retrieve successful the world, truthful we person radical who don't deliberation earlier picking up the phone."

Ms Starling, who's nearing the extremity of different engaged shift, is reflecting connected a rollercoaster 2 years with the squad successful Bradford.

"I knew I needed a challenge, hence the vocation change, and I'm truthful gladsome it has turned retired to beryllium the situation it has," she says.

"We bash astonishing things each day, successful antithetic quantities, but the time I took [the motorway span call] I thought that's the archetypal clip I've made a immense quality to somebody's life."