999 calls diverted after equipment failure at Derbyshire police HQ

A building at their Ripley headquarters has been evacuated following an electrical fault in the basement.

A battery for the power supply is believed to have malfunctioned, causing it to smoke. Sprinklers installed at the building extinguished the fire before fire crews arrived.

No-one has been injured and firefighters are on the scene as a precaution.

Nottinghamshire police is currently handling Derbyshire’s 999 calls as a temporary measure. The 101 call takers have relocated to a different building and are still receiving calls.

A Derbyshire police spokesperson said engineers were working as quickly as possible to restore the service.

“If you have a general enquiry to make, please contact the 101 number later in the day, when a normal service should resume. You can also visit the force website www.derbyshire.police.uk,” they added.

All 999 and 101 calls are usually taken by staff at the force’s Central Contact Management Centre but contingency plans exist should there be a problem with the building.