Police send message to Sheffield after thousands of calls over social distancing concerns

Staff at the force’s Atlas Court call handling centre in Sheffield answered 48,410 calls in April.

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Temporary Head of Communications, Superintendent Becs Horsfall said a large proportion of the calls were from members of the public seeking advice about social distancing, and what was or was not deemed as essential activity under government guidance.

“We are always busy, and the month of April saw huge numbers of calls for service, especially to our 101 non-emergency number,” she said.

“Our staff dealt with over 17,000 emergency 999 calls, they also took 31,000 calls to 101 alongside the receipt of online reporting; these are significant statistics for our contact centre.”

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She added: “As always, I would urge people to think before they contact us.

“In the case of Covid-19 related calls, please check the government website to see if you can find the answers there. You may also be able to find information on the local authority websites; they are doing a great job of keeping people informed, so it’s worth checking there too.“My staff are doing a fantastic job of offering guidance to people where appropriate, but please remember that the force is continuing with business as usual.

“We are still responding to emergencies, serious incidents and attending crimes such as burglary - these must continue to be a priority.”

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In January the force received 44,000 calls and 52,000 in February.

Figures for March have not been released.