SUFFOLK police have opened a new state-of-the-art contact centre today in a bid to improve the handling of calls to the Constabulary.Thousands of people contact the force every week and in 2003 a scheme was launched, under the name Call First, in a bid to improved the way calls are handled.

SUFFOLK police have opened a new state-of-the-art contact centre today in a bid to improve the handling of calls to the Constabulary.

Thousands of people contact the force every week and in 2003 a scheme was launched, under the name Call First, in a bid to improved the way calls are handled.

The project resulted in the recruitment of more staff and today culminated in the opening of the centre at BT's Adastral Park in Martlesham Heath.

Chief Inspector Mike Gooch, who has overseen the scheme, said: “Most people's first contact with the police is via the phone - and this first contact is often crucial in shaping people's opinions of the overall service they are offered.

“Our Suffolk First For You initiative is all about providing people with the best policing service.

“Call handling is essential to this aim - and we need to ensure that all our calls are dealt with in an efficient, helpful and supportive manner from the second we answer the phone.”

A total of 13 extra call handling staff have been taken on since 2003 as part of the project and a further five staff are due to be recruited in the coming year.

All call handlers will work from the new centre but the force operations room will still be the base for staff who dispatch officers to incidents.