Northumbria Police's average 101 call waiting time has risen to more than six minutes, a figure branded “unacceptable” by the force's police and crime commissioner, who is now looking to artificial intelligence (AI) to reduce delays.
New figures show that the average 101 response time jumped to six minutes and 10 seconds in the 12 months to July 2026, compared with two minutes and 49 seconds in the previous year. That marks a further deterioration from earlier in 2026, when statistics presented to councillors showed an average answer time of four minutes for the 12 months to March 2026.
PCC highlights rising demand
Northumbria PCC Susan Dungworth told a Police and Crime Panel meeting in Gateshead on Tuesday that the force was looking at ways to improve 101 responses, including enhanced training and the use of AI to triage calls. Mrs Dungworth said: “I continue to stress that the chief constable knows that the current delivery on this is not acceptable. We have got to improve our 101 responses. There are lots of reasons for it, the rise in demand across both 101 and 999, but if that demand is going to continue increasing then we need a way to work with it.
“The force is looking at a number of things to improve that around enhancing training and looking at opportunities to use AI, almost in a triage way. A lot of the calls to 101 are not class about offending or crimes being committed.”
AI could divert calls to other services
Mrs Dungworth explained that many 101 calls relate to matters outside policing, such as local authority duties or health-related issues. She added: “If you can have a system that guides people more quickly or connects with those services, the less stress it puts on the police.”
The PCC's report notes that 101 calls increased by one per cent since last year, while 999 calls rose by 12%. It also states that the move to a new records system, NicheRMS, has “increased the complexity and duration of non-emergency contacts”.
Online contact and new hub
Mrs Dungworth reported significant growth in people contacting the police online “before sufficient demand has been diverted away from traditional channels”, which has “reduced available capacity and contributed to longer waiting times”.
A move to a new communications hub at the Cobalt Business Park is expected to help by offering a “modern operating environment that supports enhanced supervision, improved training, upgraded technology and closer integration across the contact function”.
