The control room is an essential part of police operational activity. It’s staff oversee the allocation of policing resources such as response officers to incidents and crimes and it’s call handlers take information from the public to ensure that officers attending locations are prepared and safe.

Key Staff

  • Police Inspectors oversee the activity within the control room and support major incidents

  • Radio Dispatch Operators (RDOs) instruct police resources (officers) where to attend taking into account priority and risk.

  • Call Handlers receive emergency (999 calls) and non-emergency (101 calls) from the public collating the key information they receive and sending it to the appropriate place, often radio operators.

Control room staff

In these videos, some of our staff talk about the roles within the control room. In what can be an intense environment, they talk about the skills needed in doing their roles and what their job involves, from talking with distressed members of the public to prioritising incidents to ensure the most important incidents are dealt with first.

Can you do it?

These roles require particular skills to do them well. Have a go at this interactive experience to see how well you can prioritise incidents.