SUMMER is one of my favourite times of year. Our beaches are busy, our towns are bustling and millions of people come to enjoy everything our beautiful peninsula has to offer.

But while many of us are making the most of the sunshine, it is also one of the busiest times of year for Devon and Cornwall Police.

The recent hot weather has already had an impact on Devon and Cornwall Police's contact centre, with staff seeing an increase in calls from across the peninsula.

In fact, on a single day in June, the force received 1,305 calls to 999 - almost 47 per cent more than on the same day last year.

What struck me most, however, is that only 23 per cent of those calls resulted in an emergency or priority police response.

That statistic highlights something incredibly important. The 999 number is for situations where there is an immediate threat to life, a crime in progress, serious injury, or someone is in immediate danger.

Every call matters. But every unnecessary call to 999 can take valuable time away from somebody experiencing a genuine emergency.

The scale of demand on the service is significant. In the 12 months to May this year, Devon and Cornwall Police received more than 312,000 emergency calls – more than 13,000 additional 999 calls compared with the previous year.

Despite that increase, the force answered 91.9 per cent of emergency calls within 10 seconds, with an average wait time of just five seconds.

The force also received more than 243,000 calls to 101 over the last year – an increase of more than 17,000 calls compared with the previous 12 months. Staff answered more than 212,000 of those calls, dealing with a huge range of non-emergency enquiries and concerns.

What is sometimes forgotten is that there is a person behind every one of these interactions. In the coming weeks, Devon and Cornwall Police will be running a social media campaign featuring members of its contact centre team talking about their work.

These staff are rarely seen by the public but play a vital role in keeping our communities safe. They remain calm under pressure, make difficult decisions and work incredibly hard to get the right help to the right people as quickly as possible.

I hope the campaign helps people understand the reality of the role and the pressures these teams face on a daily basis.

And I would ask the public to play their part too. If it's an emergency, call 999 without hesitation. If it isn't, please consider using 101 or the force's online reporting services instead. When you report online, you can expect a response within 24 hours.