POLICE will be expected to respond to emergency calls faster in England and Wales under new reforms, which will be outlined at a later date.

Targets look to respond to emergencies within 15 minutes in urban areas, and 20 minutes in rural areas. Under the new reforms, forces will also be expected to answer 999 phone calls within 10 seconds. These new targets will ensure that all forces provide the same level of police response to crimes.

Nick Evans, Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner said: “I’m pleased to say that in Gloucestershire, we already have robust targets for both answering 999 and 101 calls and emergency response times to incidents, and as the locally elected voice of the public, the Police and Crime Commissioner holds the police to account for meeting these targets.

“Over the last four years, we have seen significant improvement in meeting these targets, with latest figures showing that on average, 999 calls are answered in 3.3 seconds, 101 calls are answered in 63 seconds and emergency calls in urban areas are attended within 10 minutes and rural areas within 15 minutes. By asking policing to focus on these issues as a priority, we can have a direct local impact on the service provided to Gloucestershire residents, rather than relying on national spreadsheets put together by civil servants in Whitehall.

“Neighbourhood Watch are right that policing, and crucially its funding, needs reform, to make sure that it is able to meet the challenges of the 21st Century, but we must not compromise the service delivered to local residents. We have seen too many ‘reforms’ in other parts of the country, or in other emergency services that have led to a reduction in the quality of service that people want to receive. I do not want policing in Gloucestershire to suffer the same fate, otherwise the trust and confidence in policing that we all value so highly will be irreparably harmed.”

John Hayward-Cripps, Chief Executive of Neighbourhood Watch, said: "It's a very basic expectation that police will respond when you report a crime, and quickly when it is serious. When that doesn't happen, it's not just frustrating, it is very stressful and it damages trust. The data shows that there is real variation in how well different forces respond to incidents. Police effectiveness, and the trust we place in the police, is built on the relationships that they have and maintain with the public.

“Therefore, the government introducing national standards and, crucially, the resource required to meet them is a welcome step forward. But restoring confidence won't happen overnight, the police need to take the time to engage meaningfully with their communities too, which most of them are doing."

To fight everyday crime, the government will ramp up its pledge to restore visible neighbourhood policing and patrols in communities through an extension of its Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee.

Under the extension, every council ward in England and Wales will have its own contactable officers, creating more local points of contact.