Devon and Cornwall Police is asking members of the public to help during the busy summer period.

The school summer holiday sees some of our busiest times with the arrival of thousands of holiday makers and demand on emergency services increasing as people flock to our counties.

Figures from the last few years show how much the holiday season impacts on the police service with 999 calls increasing by nearly 30 per cent, with an average of 818 calls received per day. On top of that are (on average) 1,861 101 calls and 349 e-contacts (messages sent via the website) with reports of 764 incidents per summer day.

However, this year the demand is even greater. The number of 999 calls is already frequently in excess of 1,000 a day with similarly high numbers of 101 calls.

Police say there are things members of the public can do to reduce some of the demand which in turn allows officers and staff to respond quickly to emergencies.

Assistant chief constable Nikki Leaper said: “To help us manage over the busy period we’re asking for the public’s help in some key areas.

“First of all, if it’s a non-emergency matter, please contact us using the forms available on our website or consider using our WebChat facility to get updates.

“Both of these facilities are staffed by our hard-working contact officers – so any issue will be dealt with by the same team – but using these channels will save you time and will also keep the lines clear for members of our communities who, for various reasons, cannot contact us online.”

Another thing which the public can do to help reduce demand is not hang up in the event of a pocket dial or accidental 999 call.

ACC Leaper added: “Due to modern smart phones’ security features, accidental 999 calls are becoming increasingly common and can be time consuming to manage as people often hang up in embarrassment or fear of getting not trouble.

“When that happens our contact officers can spend up to half an hour each time trying to call the person back to check they’re OK. We estimate that around 10-15% of our 999 calls are accidental – which is a huge proportion.

“In the event this happens to you – stay on the line to let the operator know you’re safe. You won’t get into trouble, and it can save us a lot of time in trying to track you down to call you back. The same goes for situations where you’ve witnesses an incident, called 999, but then notice officers have arrived on scene. Don’t hang up – stay on the line and let us know you’re OK.”

Finally, many calls the police receive are really more appropriately dealt with by other local agencies.

“We do still get a lot of calls for things which are not police matters – such as poor parking, fly tipping or noise,” said ACC Leaper.

“We would only deal with any of these issues if they posed a risk to the public for example if the rubbish was dumped on a road, or the parked car was causing an obstruction.

“We also anticipate that, if the hose pipe ban comes in next week as planned, people will be calling us to report breaches. These issues would be dealt with by other agencies. There is a full list of these agencies on our website so please check online before you call us.”