Emergency callouts using sirens from January 2023 to date for Police

Request 726284724

Total number of emergency callouts where sirens were used, broken down by month, for the period January 2023 to present, for:

States of Jersey Police

Time-of-day breakdown of siren use during that period (e.g., 00:00–06:00, 06:00–12:00, etc.), if available.

Any guidelines or internal policy documents related to the use of sirens during:

Low-traffic or off-peak hours (e.g., overnight)

When returning to base

Calls where no immediate threat to life is present

Any records of complaints or public concerns raised

Response

There is no publicly available policy document on the Government of Jersey website that outlines exact criteria for when emergency services must use sirens, however internal response driving procedure states the following.

Within the force there are three levels of response: Immediate Action (Code 1) - Quick Response (Code 2) - As Convenient (Code 3)

• As Convenient – deferred response, no immediate action necessary 

• Quick Response – prompt attendance, for action as soon as practicable. Use of siren and blue lights not normally justified, unless the police driver considers them necessary to facilitate safe attendance. 

• Immediate Action: Use of siren and blue lights normally justified.”

There is no absolute requirement for their activation. Officers are expected to exercise professional discretion based on situational factors. For example, in low-traffic conditions or when a silent approach is operationally preferable, sirens may not be used.

The occasions when sirens are activated are recorded only by each individual on-board data recorder. It is not possible to extract a time breakdown from vehicle data recorders, doing so would require a manual and resource-intensive process. The time and effort involved would exceed the 12.5-hour threshold set for Freedom of Information responses. As such, Article 16 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 has been applied, which permits refusal of a request where the cost of compliance would be excessive 

In general, police vehicles do not use emergency lights or sirens when returning to base. However, in exceptional circumstances, such as when an officer must urgently return to Police Headquarters (PHQ) to collect specialist equipment or deploy a specific skill set, sirens may be used to facilitate a rapid response. 

There has been one public concern recorded from January 2023 to present regarding use of sirens.

Article applied 

Article 16 - A scheduled public authority may refuse to supply information if cost excessive

​(1) A scheduled public authority that has been requested to supply information may refuse to supply the information if it estimates that the cost of doing so would exceed an amount determined in the manner prescribed by Regulations. ​​