The director of the administration for the centres that handle of urgent emergency calls for the police, rescue, health and social services was replaced last autumn. No new staff positions have yet been created, but more personnel are being trained. For example, a number of unemployed policemen will be taking up summer replacement jobs at the response centre in Kouvola.
However, efficiency has not improved as hoped. The target is for 86% of emergency calls to be answered within ten seconds. At present, nationwide, that figure is only slightly above 70%.
The most common cause of lower levels of efficiency is the large number of calls not directly related to the need for emergency service response. A group which has been examining means to improve the operations of the centres has suggested that a second service number be set up to handle less urgent calls in addition to the emergency number 112.
