Inspector Mike Higgie, national operations manager for Emergency Communications and Dispatch (ECD), is leading the implementation of the framework. He says the change is overdue and is rooted in a simple idea: putting safety first.

“The main thing is about making sure that when your friend or family member needs police to keep them safe, they will be coming – not diverted to something that does not achieve that purpose,” Mike says. “It’s using frontline police officers’ expertise to reduce risk to life or safety, disrupt or prevent offending, apprehend offenders and secure evidence.”

How it works

Under the risk-harm attendance (RHA) framework, incidents are prioritised using a decision-making matrix known as SCAN, which guides communicators (calltakers) and dispatchers through four key considerations:

• Severity: How serious is the offending or risk to safety/property?
• Circumstances: Would immediate police attendance reduce harm, prevent offending, catch offenders or preserve evidence?
• Attributes: Are any people involved particularly vulnerable (e.g. mental health, physical condition, age)?
• Need: Is there a legal, organisational or public expectation for police to attend?

“This gives structure and support to our people in ECD and 105 to make emergency response decisions based on risk and harm.”

That consistent, risk-based prioritisation ensures frontline attendance makes the most impact. 

• Priority 1 (P1 – urgent emergency) responses remain unchanged.
• Priority 2  are incidents that do not meet P1 criteria but call for a timely emergency response.
• Priority 3 (managed response) are events that may still be police matters but are resolved in consultation with districts, sometimes by appointment or alternative action, to help manage risk across Police.

Definitions for Priority 2 and 3 were refined to better manage rising demand and improve the identification and management of risk. 

“We have also removed the word ‘historic’ from our assessment of an event. It’s not about whether something’s old. It’s about whether the circumstances of sending someone now or in the near future reduces risk or harm, apprehends offenders, prevents offending or secures evidence,” Mike says.

From call to action

Mike says the framework gives communicators and dispatchers a structured way to triage events and redirect non-police calls – a longstanding pressure point.

One area already showing a measurable change is family harm.

“Under RHA, there has been an increase in family harm incidents that have been recognised as requiring a Priority 1 response,” Mike says, “and there’s been a reduction in the median response time to those calls.”

He attributes this to better questioning and more nuanced assessments by communicators, supported by the SCAN matrix and the pathways that the broader RHA framework provides.

He acknowledges the change hasn’t been easy for all staff. “If would be lovely if we could attend everything that people call us about, but we just can’t. We are putting our focus squarely on keeping people safe.”

Kate Breen, who manages the 105 Non-Emergency Service, says the RHA framework has allowed 105 communicators to take reports for a wider range of matters, “many of which would previously have required referral to a police station if no units were available to attend”. 

“This not only improves the public’s experience by reducing unnecessary delays but it also empowers 105 communicators to resolve more matters directly. Feedback from the team is that the framework is definitely supporting their decision-making and giving them greater confidence.

“They have said that the structured approach ensures they are referring members of the public to the most appropriate pathway, reinforcing their trust that people are getting the help they need.”

As for those who clearly don’t reach the attendance threshold? “We have coined the phrase, ‘If you are reaching for Google, it is probably not a Police matter’,” Mike says.

The framework began as a proof of concept with 20% of staff across ECD and 105 before full training and rollout as a pilot across all communications centres earlier this year.
 

“The Evidence Based Policing Centre is producing an evaluation of the pilot, which will be presented to the Police senior leadership team with recommendations,” Mike says. “We expect to present this in August.

“This is about ensuring public safety teams, road policing resource and other first response resources are available to focus on the things they need to focus on… They will be going to events where they can keep people safe.”

For Mike, who spent 15 years in frontline policing, the change brings clarity and purpose. “I feel a little disappointed that we weren’t already doing something like this when I was frontline.”