DESPITE being one of the busiest nights of the year 999 calls to the police dropped by six per cent on New Year’s Eve compared to the year before.
As thousands of people saw in 2016, between 7pm on December 31 and 7am on January 1, there was a 6.9 per cent reduction in the number of calls West Mercia received compared to New Year’s Eve in 2014.
During the forces busiest hour, between 1am and 2am, call handlers answered a 999 call every 56 seconds.
Chief Insp Sean Kent said: “New Year’s Eve can be one of the busiest nights of the year to police, and we had extra resources in place to meet the demand.
“I’d like to thank our communities for their cooperation during this time.
“The reduction in 999 calls meant those genuinely in emergency situations were able to speak to someone as quickly as possible and get the help they required.
“I would continue to ask the public to think carefully about whether 999 is the correct service for their needs. For non-emergencies, you can always get in touch by calling 101 or by using our online services.”
