The Metropolitan Police is struggling to meet its goal of responding to 90% of emergency calls within 10 seconds, according to an assessment by a government oversight body.

The midway report for the year revealed that just 78% of calls were addressed within that timeframe, a drop from 85% during the same period in 2024.

Last year, the police force received commendation for achieving a “sustained and significant improvement.”

The latest findings from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) indicate that while there is a “positive direction of travel,” it is “insufficient to meet the target.”

Marina Ahmad, a member of the London Assembly and Labour’s spokesperson on policing, stated that investments had “made a real impact,” but she expressed concern over the recent decline in performance and pledged to monitor the situation closely to prevent losing any momentum.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police informed LDRS that they are fully committed to ensuring rapid responses to all 999 calls.

“This commitment involves improved leadership and oversight of personnel while also adjusting how we anticipate demand, which helps ensure teams are properly equipped.”

Recently, the Met appealed to the public to only dial 999 in cases of genuine emergencies, noting that many calls could be wasting call-handler resources.

From July 2024 to July 2025, only 15% of calls to the emergency number were deemed necessary, with the remainder including instances such as individuals reporting a spider in their home or one whose dog refused to return inside.