Tweetathon reveals “eye-opening” demand on Cambridgeshire Police

Drink drivers, neighbour disputes, anti-social behaviour, domestic abuse and road collisions were just some of many reports during a police “Tweetathon”, described by one user as “a real eye-opener”.

The event on Friday, between 4pm and 11pm, saw call handlers respond to a total of 204 calls to 999 and 101.

The force shared a short summary of every call its Demand Hub received in the seven-hour period to highlight the variety and volume of demand.

It was held to coincide with #ControlRoomWeek, an annual event which aims to show the important work of control room staff all over the country.

It was the force’s fourth Tweetathon and many Twitter/X users tuned in to gain an insight into the reality of life inside Cambridgeshire’s control room.

One user said he was “absolutely stunned” as he had never realised just how busy emergency services were.

Detective Superintendent Michael Branston, head of demand, said: “The Tweetathon is always eye-opening for the general public who are often shocked to see just how busy our phone lines really are. We hope people now better understand why we encourage online reporting in non-urgent situations, as it is not always possible to have an operator on the other end of the phone if it’s not deemed to be an emergency.

“I am extremely grateful to the call handlers, supervisors and dispatchers in the Demand Hub who always remain helpful, professional and diligent, working extremely hard to tackle the incoming demand we face.”

One Twitter/X user said the Tweetathon was “really interesting and informative”, while another said, “what surprises me is the high volume of utter nonsense people report. I've called the police once in my life and would never consider ringing 999 for some of this!”

The public should only use 999 in emergencies. For non-urgent matters, they should call 101 or log a report online or use web chat. This ensures call handlers will always be available to arrange help for those who need it most.