Force Information Room - the hub of operational policing

The Force Information Room (FIR) is the hub of operational policing in Essex.

Opened at Essex Police Headquarters in Chelmsford in 1995, it is responsible for answering 999 and non-emergency calls and deploying officers to incidents across the county.

Every month FIR call handlers deal with more than 90,000 calls. At any moment of night or day, they can be called upon to deal with anything from a distressed victim of crime to a member of the public with a routine enquiry.

In an emergency it is the call handler's job to gather as much information from the caller as possible, often in difficult circumstances.

Callers who come through to Essex Police on a 999 line are immediately connected to a call taker in FIR. Details are then recorded and an alert sent for officers to be dispatched as quickly as possible to the scene.

"The role of call taker is very diverse," said FIR supervisor Joanne Traynor. "They need to be ready and prepared for any sort of emergency or routine incident that comes their way.

"Often people are very upset, emotional and angry. We need to communicate with them and use all our expertise to draw out the information we require to respond to the incident."

Essex Police takes an average of 20,000 999 telephone calls a month. However many of these do not turn out to be an emergency.

Essex Police defines an emergency situation as one where there is a crime or serious incident in progress, a serious risk of injury or a risk of serious damage to property, but some people still use the 999 system inappropriately.

Joanne Traynor added: "People ring asking for directions, they ring 999 because they've run out of credit on their mobile phone and want a lift home, sometimes they ring 999 because their electricity has failed."

Chief Inspector Alan Gooden said: "The 999 system is something that must not be abused. We have a finite number of resources and we need people to be responsible."

In a genuine emergency always dial 999. However if you don't need immediate help or just require advice or information 0300 333 4444 is the most appropriate number to call.

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