Upsurge in calls to police hotline in first three months

Calls to the police-run citizens hotline 1460 increased 26.34 per cent to 15,299 in the first three months year-on-year, it was reported on Sunday.

According to CNA, police spokesman Andreas Angelides said the increase in the number of calls demonstrated the growing confidence of the public in the service.

He said that the management of complaints and information from citizens was always handled with confidentiality, professionalism and speed on the part of police officers manning the lines.

“Also, through the education of our members and study recommendations, we aim at upgrading the services,” he said.

Last year the hotline received a total of 71,867 calls. During the first three months of 2016, the number was 12,109.

Of the 71,867 calls, in 2016, some 48 243 were directly served by the operators of the citizens’ line, while another 16,894 were directed to other departments of the police.

From the number of calls in the first quarter of 2017, around 9,851 were served by hotline staff and some 4,000 were directed to other departments.

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