Serious crime victims in some parts of UK wait 13 hours for police - full list

02 November 2023 , 14:53

761     0

Tories have been accused of causing an 'unforgivable' rise in police waiting times (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Grim figures reveal crime victims in some parts of the country are forced to wait an average of 13 hours for police to turn up to priority calls.

Birmingham, Reading and Aylesbury Vale are the worst affected by a "disturbing postcode lottery", with Tories accused of failing thousands preyed on by criminals every day. Police wait times have nearly doubled in just two years, new data shows, raising the risk of vital evidence being lost.

Police took 13 and a half hours to respond to calls in Birmingham West last year, figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show. Although many forces respond to grade 2 priority calls - which require a fast response where there's no risk to life - within an hour, many are lagging well behind.

Scroll down to see average response times in your area

These can include burglaries, missing persons or domestic incidents, as well as cases where a member of the public has detained a suspect. Across England and Wales, the average response was three hours and 12 minutes, up nearly an hour from two hours 17 minutes a year earlier.

Teachers, civil servants and train drivers walk out in biggest strike in decade

Tories have been accused of stripping back resources, leaving victims facing "unforgivable" long waits. Lib Dem leader Sir 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 Lib Dems blame ineffective resourcing which have seen over 4,500 Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) lost since 2015. They say this has contributed to the 2.1million crimes that went unsolved in England and Wales in the year to June, according to Home Office figures.

In Bristol and Plymouth, grade two priority calls take just 37 minutes. These incidents can include cases where a suspect is detained at the scene, and can result in them being let go, the Lib Dems said.

Victims in Aylesbury Vale, covered by Thames Valley Police, waited nearly 11 hours on average, while people in Reading waited 10 hours and 13 minutes.

A Home Office spokeswoman 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. She secured a commitment from the police to attend the scene of every home burglary, which we expect should be delivered across the country as well as police pursuing all reasonable lines of enquiry to ensure more crimes are solved and public confidence is improved.”

Grade 2 priority cases response times in your area

Note: Not all police forces responded to a Freedom of Information Act request.

* Follow Mirror Politics on Snapchat, Tiktok, Twitter and Facebook.

PCSO numbers plummet as Tories branded 'asleep at the wheel' - see in your area

Dave Burke