Stockport Liberal Democrats will call for action to make it easier to report non-emergency crimes in a motion at Stockport Full Council on Thursday. If passed, the motion will see Stockport Council writing to Mayor Andy Burnham, who is responsible for policing in Greater Manchester, calling for a review into how the system can be improved.
Cllr Iain Roberts, proposing the motion, said “Every week I am contacted by residents who have witnessed crimes or even been the victim of crime, but have not been able to report it. In 2017 it can’t be right that our only option for reporting non-emergency crimes is to call 101 and wait on the phone – sometimes for an hour or more. As the person in charge of Greater Manchester Police, Andy Burnham needs to get a grip on this.”
Greater Manchester Police’s own figures show that 23% of 101 calls were abandoned in June of this year, up from 17% in May.
Cllr Mark Weldon, who is seconding the motion, said “Every call that the Police are unable to answer is a crime that goes unreported and intelligence that the Police miss out on.”
