After an improvement last year the Met has again fallen below its target of 90% of calls being picked up within ten seconds, reports Kumail Jaffer, Local Democracy Reporter

The word "POLICE" carved into stone on the side of a police building — (Credit – Met Police)

The Metropolitan Police Service is falling short on its aim to answer 90% of 999 emergency calls within ten seconds.

Call handlers are still failing to pick up the phone within the force’s target, according to the Met’s mid-year review report. Last year the force was praised for making a “sustained and significant improvement” in answering calls quickly, according to His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS).

In September 2022, inspectors discovered the force answered 63.9% of 999 calls within ten seconds – but this rose to 94% by February 2024.

But standards appeared to have slipped, according to a Met Police document published last week. Between April and September this year, just 77.5% of calls were answered within the time period, compared to 85% in the same six months in 2024.

The report suggests there is a “positive direction of travel” but it “is not sufficient to achieve the aspiration”.

Marina Ahmad, Labour’s spokesperson for policing and crime on the London Assembly, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “The mayor’s investment in the Met’s command and control centre has made a real difference, with 999 call answering rates improving dramatically from 57.3% since 2022.

“However, the latest figures show performance has dipped slightly so I will be keeping a close eye on this to ensure the progress we’ve seen isn’t lost and that Londoners can rely on emergency calls being answered as quickly as possible.”

In 2023, City Hall invested £2.5million to improve the running of the command and control centre after the Met was placed into an advanced stage of monitoring by HMICFRS.

A Met Police spokesperson told the LDRS: “Last month we answered 88% of 999 calls within ten seconds. So far in December, this figure has reached 89%.

“We are doing all we can to respond to all emergency calls as quickly as possible. This includes enhanced leadership and supervision of staff and changing the way we forecast demand, meaning teams are adequately resourced. We recognise there is more to do and continue to monitor any drops in performance to quickly address them.”

Last month the Met urged the public to only call 999 if there were actual emergencies, suggesting millions of calls had been made which took up valuable call handler time.

Only 15% of calls to the emergency number were genuine between July 2024 and July 2025, with the rest including someone reporting a spider in their room and another whose dog would not come back into their house.

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