The Metropolitan Police Service is struggling to meet its own target for answering emergency 999 calls promptly, with new figures revealing a dip in performance. The force aims to answer 90% of life-or-death calls within ten seconds, but recent data shows it is falling short of this critical benchmark.
Call Answering Times See a Dip
According to the Met's own mid-year review report, covering the period from April to September this year, only 77.5% of 999 calls were answered within the ten-second target. This represents a decline from the 85% achieved in the same six-month period in 2024. The report acknowledges a "positive direction of travel" but admits progress "is not sufficient to achieve the aspiration".
This slip is notable given the force's previous improvements. In September 2022, the Met answered a mere 63.9% of emergency calls within ten seconds, a figure that soared to 94% by February 2024 after significant investment and scrutiny. The recent drop has prompted concern from London's political figures.
Political Scrutiny and Public Warnings
Marina Ahmad AM, Labour's spokesperson for Policing and Crime on the London Assembly, highlighted the Mayor's past investment in the Met's Command and Control Centre (MetCC), which helped drive rates up from 57.3% in 2022. "However, the latest figures show performance has dipped slightly," she stated, adding she would be "keeping a close eye" on the figures to ensure progress isn't lost.
The force has issued a fresh plea to the public to use the 999 service responsibly. Shockingly, data from July 2024 to July 2025 indicates that only around 15% of calls to the emergency number were for genuine emergencies. Examples of time-wasting calls included a person reporting a spider in their room and another caller whose dog would not come back into the house.
Met's Response and Ongoing Efforts
A Met Police spokesperson pointed to more recent improvements, stating, "Last month we answered 88 per cent of 999 calls within ten seconds. So far in December, this figure has reached 89 per cent." They outlined measures being taken to improve, including enhanced leadership, better demand forecasting, and ensuring teams are adequately resourced.
The backdrop to this effort is a £2.5 million investment from City Hall in 2023 to improve the MetCC, which came after the force was placed into an advanced stage of monitoring by the police inspectorate, HMICFRS. The Met insists it is doing all it can to respond to emergencies swiftly but recognises more work is needed to consistently hit its vital target and keep Londoners safe.
