Stockport Liberal Democrats are calling for action to make it easier to report non-emergency crimes in a motion at Stockport Full Council. 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.

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. Greater Manchester Police’s own figures show that 23% of 101 calls were abandoned in June of this year, up from 17% in May.

“According to the UK Police website 101 is the number to call when it is less urgent than for a 999 call – but that shouldn’t mean you are left hanging without an answer at all”, said Cllr Jon Twigge.

Update: The Lib Dem motion on Thursday night (26/10/2017) passed with an amendment extending it so Stockport Council will be officially writer to the Mayor of Manchester asking him to improve the police 101 line response times.