Greater Manchester Police is starting to take 101 calls from home in response to the coronavirus.

Paul Clements, Chief Superintendent, said: "I believe GMP could be the first force in England to take 101 calls from home and we are really pleased with how the process has gone.

"The callers won’t be able to detect any differences, they receive the same level of service and everything is logged on our systems in the same way.

Tom Atkinson was the first call handler to start working from home, self-isolating as his wife is classed as high risk.

He said: "I thought I’d have to sit at home and do nothing for 12 weeks but luckily now that GMP has the ability to take calls from home, it allows me to continue with my day job away from the office.

“It’s a really hard time that everyone’s going through, but being able to continue to do my bit to help has made a huge difference.”