Police are taking longer to get to Redbridge and Havering emergencies because not enough officers have passed advanced driving tests.

Almost a third of 999 callers in Redbridge, Havering and Barking & Dagenham this year did not see police arrive until 15 or more minutes later.

Chief Inspector Lisa Butterfield admitted that this figure “looks bad” compared to last year, when more than 80 per cent of calls were responded to in less than 15 minutes. 

She told Havering Council’s crime and disorder panel on October 5 the increase in response times was due to a “combination of factors”.

She said: “With a lot of newer officers we just haven’t had driving courses to support them, which impacts how fast they can drive.”

“The other thing is we really didn’t push the need to get there within 15 minutes time.

“What that data set doesn’t tell you is how far outside the target time those calls are, whether it’s 30 seconds or 15 minutes.”

She explained the teams had been encouraged to focus on thoroughness and victim care, instead of “chasing the next call and the next call”.