POLICE will be forced to get to the most serious incidents within minutes to try to stop offenders slipping away.
Officers will have to get to priority callouts within 15 minutes in cities and 20 minutes in rural areas, under the proposals.
These include cases where violence is being used or threatened, where someone has been seriously injured, where property is being badly damaged or where a crime is in progress.
Police will also be required to answer emergency calls within ten seconds, replacing voluntary standards currently set by each force.
The plans form part of a wider policing overhaul, which Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will unveil in full today.
Ms Mahmood said: “Everyday crimes are on the rise across the country and too often there seem to be no consequences.
“People are reporting crimes and then waiting hours or even days for a response.
“By the time the police arrive, the perpetrators and witnesses are long gone.
“I will restore neighbourhood policing and scale up patrols in communities to catch criminals and cut crime.”
High-performing teams could be sent in to help those forces which fell short, she added.
