Residents in Ealing have been waiting on average three hours for police to arrive at an “S” grade call out despite the target being just 60 minutes, Liberal Democrats have revealed.
Following a request from Liberal Democrat Assembly Member Caroline Pidgeon to the Mayor of London regarding police response times, the force has provided data on its performance across London from August 2021 to August 2022.
For an “S” grade call out, which is the second highest priority call, police are required to attend within 60 minutes but in Ealing the average time was 178 minutes. In August 2022, police took 242 minutes on average to attend. In Camden, it was 68 minutes and the average for all boroughs was 138 minutes. No London Borough met the 60 minute target over the year with only Southwark coming close at 70 minutes.
For an “I” grade call out, which is the highest priority, call police are required to attend within 15 minutes and in Ealing the average time was 13 minutes. In Hammersmith & Fulham is was 10 minutes. The average for all boroughs was 13 minutes.
Ealing Liberal Democrat Councillor Connie Hersch said: “Behind these figures are countless frightening and upsetting stories, with victims of crime left vulnerable and unsupported for hours at a time. Residents in Ealing are being badly let down and left to fend for themselves. Liberal Democrats are calling for proper community policing, where officers are trusted, effective and known locally. Is that really too much for Londoners to ask?”
Councillor Hersch added: “Without leadership from this government our police service is increasingly unable to help and protect the public. The Mayor and the government must get a grip on this situation now. Even though local ward police officers are diverted to answer 999 calls and 999 calls are still not managed in time, demonstrates the extensive need for resources and leadership.”
