NUMBER OF 999 CALL CENTRES COULD BE CUT

Funding cuts may compel Yorkshire's police to return to a controversial proposal to have only two 999 call centres for the entire region, a chief constable has admitted.

By The Newsroom

Published 22nd Oct 2010, 17:05 BST

Updated 22nd Oct 2010, 19:58 BST

Earlier this year police chiefs dismissed a recommendation by consultants Deloitte to set up regional “contact centres”, that would deal with 999, non-emergency and switchboard calls as well as emails and internet communications.

But South Yorkshire chief constable Meredydd Hughes said yesterday that they may be forced to reconsider the move, which Deloitte claimed would save 13m a year.

“As soon as we start talking about having to make substantial funding cuts, then nothing can be completely off the table,” Mr Hughes said.

“We are forced to reconsider ideas that we would not have wanted to take forward, but that does not mean there is an urgent need to revise things.”

South Yorkshire Deloitte