Surrey’s Police and Crime Commissioner has hailed a “dramatic improvement” in the time it takes Surrey Police to answer and respond to 999 and 101 calls.

Lisa Townsend praised the police officers and staff behind a slew of significant changes, which have seen the force climb national league tables for 999 call answering times.

It comes as His Majesty’s Inspectorate for Constabulary and Fire lifts its “causes of concern” for Surrey Police after an inspection in late 2023.

During the inspection for the Police Effectiveness, Efficiency and Legitimacy (PEEL) review, issues around the service residents receive when they contact their police were highlighted.

In the time since the review, the operation of Surrey Police’s Force Command Centre and the Contact and Transformation Command – both based at force HQ in Guildford – have been overhauled.

Officers now attend the most serious calls for service – known as a Grade 1 response – within 13 minutes. This is seven minutes quicker than the 20-minute national standard.

Non-emergency calls made to 101 are now answered three minutes faster than a year ago, with an average answer time of 12 seconds – down from 3.4 minutes in December 2024. Call abandonment rates have dropped from 36 per cent to seven per cent.

Now 999 calls are answered in an average of two seconds, rather than five, handled faster, and the call abandonment rate has dropped to just two per cent.

The force is now the second-fastest in the country when it comes to answering 999 calls.

Ms Townsend said: “It is fantastic news that the average waiting time for a 999 call in Surrey is now just two seconds.

“I know from speaking to residents that being able to get hold of Surrey Police when you need them is vital and a call into our Force Command Centre can be a matter of life or death.”