Police demand drops, but ambulance chiefs busier than ever over New Year

Some 98.3 per cent of those calls were answered within ten seconds and one was received every 116 seconds during the evening's busiest hour - 1am to 2am.

Chief Inspector Sean Kent said: "New Year's Eve can be one of the busiest nights of the year to police, and we had extra resources in place over the festive period to meet the demand.

"The reduction in 999 calls meant those genuinely in emergency situations were able to speak to someone as quickly as possible and get the help they required.

"I would continue to ask the public to think carefully about whether 999 is the correct service for their needs. For non-emergencies, you can always get in touch by calling 101 or by using our online services."

The number of emergency calls to West Midlands Ambulance Service between 8pm and midnight rose by seven per cent on the previous year and by 15 per cent between midnight and 4am.

Between 8pm and midnight, there were 86 999 calls made from from people in Coventry and Warwickshire and 11 from midnight until 4am.

Across the whole area, there were 634 999 between 8pm and midnight, and 995 between midnight on 4am.

West Midlands Ambulance Service chief executive, Anthony Marsh, said: “I am very grateful and very proud of all my staff that worked through the year and through the night to keep everyone safe, putting the public before themselves and their families."