§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in what circumstances 999 emergency calls may be diverted to police stations in England, Wales and Scotland: what assessment he has made of the PSNI's response to emergency calls originating in North Belfast on 24 December 2001; and what steps have been taken to ensure year-round response readiness. [41235]
§ Jane KennedyAll 999 calls to the police made by the public are initially answered at BT or Cable and Wireless emergency call centres in Great Britain. Those 999 calls for PSNI are passed to Belfast Regional Control or rural control rooms. The PSNI do not pass calls to police stations on the mainland.
With regard to 24 December 2001, which was a normal working day for PSNI, normal policing levels were maintained within North Belfast District Command Unit throughout the whole day. The list of 999 calls received at Belfast Regional Control has been examined and the police response on each occasion was found to be timely and accurate.