Devon and Cornwall Police to show pressures faced by call-handlers

Devon and Cornwall Police is offering the public a look at the range of calls it receives in one of its busy contact centres on Friday.

The force will be sharing live updates on Twitter over 12 hours from 15:00 GMT to highlight the "significant demand" for help.

It is the second time the force has run the initiative after it shared the work of two officers in Plymouth last week.

Police said the public could expect a "diverse range" of calls.

The force said it dealt with more than 1,000 calls over the equivalent 12-hour period last year.

Lucy Baillie, commander for contact and resolution, said a number of the calls were not for emergencies, but there were also several "very serious matters" on a typical Friday night - including sexual assaults, car crashes and fights.

"The teams in our contact centre work incredibly hard to manage this demand," she added.

Updates will appear throughout the shift on Friday via the hashtag #ControlRoomLIVE on Twitter (@DC_Police).

Assistant Chief Constable Nikki Leaper said the "vast majority" of demand for police services began with a phone call to the contact centre.

She said: "I'm confident you'll be surprised at the variety and volume of calls we receive."

On Tuesday, Chief Constable Will Kerr said the reaction to the force's first social media initiative was "largely positive", but inappropriate comments were also made towards two female PCs.

The force said it had received hundreds of comments after several posts were put out on the force Facebook page, but "many... were derogatory".

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