New initiative from Suffolk Police aims to increase accessibility for public
The force says they hope a new digital desk will allow for greater flexibility in how the public communicates with them
Suffolk Police say they're launching a 'digital desk' to improve their accessibility, and response to non-emergency enquiries.
The new Digital Public Contact Engagement Desk (DPCED), which launched last week, will be staffed every day, between the hours of 7am and 10pm.
The force says they hope it will allow for greater flexibility in how the public communicates with them for non-emergency matters.
The team managing the desk will also respond to Live Chat enquiries.
"We want to improve our accessibility"
Assistant Chief Constable Eamonn Bridger said: “We understand that more and more people engage online and that many are more comfortable using digital services than speaking on the phone.
"We want to improve our accessibility to the public by enhancing our digital communication and allow them the flexibility of communicating with us in a way that is easier and more convenient for them.
“We also want to make ourselves more accessible for those who are hard of hearing or speech impaired, and extend our hours of availability on Live Chat - which automatically translates up to 100 languages - to improve our service to those where English is not their first language.
“The DPCED will treat any communication received through digital channels in exactly the same way as our call takers manage a call in the CCR.
"The aim is to give members of the public swift responses to their non-urgent queries to help reduce our call demand and waiting times.
"We hope that by providing an improved and more efficient digital service to the public, more people will consider contacting us online rather than picking up the phone for non-emergency matters.”
Assistant Chief Constable Bridger added: “We are constantly looking at ways in which to improve our service to the public and our new digital desk will ensure that we are available, accessible and responsive to our communities.
“While we are doing everything we can to make our processes more effective, I want to remind people to contact us because they need us. If you have an emergency, where a life is in danger or a crime is in progress, you should still call 999.”
"Times change"
Suffolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner Tim Passmore said: “Times change and it important that the Constabulary adapts to meet the changing communication demands of the public.
“How we engage with each other has transformed dramatically over the last decade, with many of us using digital media rather than talking over the phone.
"The so-called Digital Desk will now allow the public to engage with the Constabulary for non-emergency enquiries in the format that suits them best and I fully support this new service which was funded through this year’s council tax investment.”