Hertfordshire Constabulary celebrates International Control Room Week

The FCR, which is based at police headquarters in Welwyn Garden City, is the heart of the organisation and the first point of contact for anyone in the county who is requesting assistance from the police. Our FCR staff have responsibility for answering emergency (999) and non-emergency (101) calls, as well as receiving online crime reports and running the live webchat service.

They manage the initial operational response, officer deployment and attendance to incidents and the recording of crimes. On average, they deal with a staggering 11,300 calls, 5,800 incidents and 350 webchats every week.

Amy Sawyer, assistant manager of the FCR, said: “Our FCR staff are there 24/7, at the end of the line to provide help and support to those in our communities in their time of need – from answering an emergency 999 call where someone is in a life-threatening situation, to responding to webchat queries to provide support and respond to non-emergency incidents. In this job you will hear everything; from callers needing general advice, issues with parking, theft and shoplifting all the way up to the most horrific serious crimes.

“No two days are the same when you work in the FCR, as you never know what kind of call you’re going to pick up next. It’s not an easy job, and this week is a way for us to say thank you and to show how much their dedication, hard work and understanding is appreciated.”

FCR Chief Inspector Steve Alison said: “The FCR is an absolutely crucial part of the constabulary and I’m delighted our dedicated colleagues are rightly recognised as part of International Control Room Week. Working 24/7, they are here to help people at their most vulnerable, often when they are at their lowest, in distressing situations and in need of a calming influence.

“Our team is currently recruiting so if you are interested in a Communications Operator role, which is both rewarding and essential to the community, then please see our website for more details.”

Communication Operators work flexibly, including weekends, and evenings/nights, to answer emergency and non-emergency calls and direct resources across the county. The starting salary is £29,331 inclusive of shift allowance, if you work full-time. Find out more and apply now.

If you need to contact Herts police, please consider which reporting channel is most appropriate. The FCR receives on average 600 emergency 999 calls a day – by using online reporting methods, it keeps phone lines clear for those wanting to make contact in an emergency. By calling 999 in a non-emergency situation, you could potentially be blocking a phone line that could be needed by someone in a life-threatening situation.

You can contact us online, straight from your computer or mobile, if you need to report a non-emergency incident. Damage-only road traffic collisions, anti-social behaviour, suspect drug use or dealing and sharing information about possible criminal activity in your area are all examples of incidents which can be reported online.

You can do this by:

💻 Filling out our online reporting form at herts.police.uk/report. You can report a crime here by filling out a simple form, and an officer will get in contact with you to follow up.

🗣 Speaking to an operator in our Force Communications Room via online web chat at herts.police.uk/contact. This will connect you with a live agent, meaning you will get a response from one of our specially trained operators.

Online non-emergency reports are dealt with in exactly the same way whether you report it online or by calling 101.