From 19 September as part of the National roll out, communities across Wiltshire will be able to dial 101, a new national non-emergency telephone number for the police service. Our current non emergency number 0845 408 7000 will be phased out.
While 999 is a well recognised number to report emergencies, the 2010 British Crime Survey found that only 54 per cent of the public knew which telephone number to call if they wanted to speak to their local police about policing, non urgent crime and anti-social behaviour issues.
Why is 101 being introduced?
The introduction of the 101 number will give local communities one easy way to speak directly with their local police to report and discuss all non urgent police-related issues. It is being introduced as part of the Government’s wider work to improve access to the police, ease pressure on 999 and help the police efficiently and effectively tackle crime and disorder. This new number will not change the way we respond to non-urgent calls. These will still be received by the call handlers in our own control rooms.
How does 101 work?
101 will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When someone calls 101, they will hear a recorded message announcing that they are being connected to their local police force. The system will determine the caller’s location and connect them to the relevant police force. If a caller is on a boundary between two or more forces, the recorded message will give them a choice of which force to be connected to. The message will also give the caller the option to select an alternative police force if the incident they are calling about took place in another force area.
When should callers use 101?
Callers should use 101 to report less urgent crime or disorder, to contact the police with a general enquiry or to speak to a local officer. For example: if their car has been stolen; if their property has been damaged; where they suspect drug use or dealing; if they want to report a minor traffic collision; if they want to give the police information about crime in their area; or simply if they’d like to speak to a local police officer. Can people who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired, use 101? People who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired can text-phone 18001 101.
Will it be more expensive for the public to contact the police on 101?
Individual telephony companies currently decide on the cost of dialling an 0845 number so it depends on the contract a force is on as to how much it costs to dial an 0845 number. With 101 it has been nationally agreed that a flat rate of 15p will be charged whether a member of public is calling from a landline or mobile, irrespective of how long their call lasts.
How will 101 be promoted to the public?
We will be running an awareness raising campaign in the run up to 19 September, including the distribution of posters, flyers, contact cards, information on our website, media, internal comms etc. If you would like any further information about the campaign, please contact Clare Mills, Head of Internal Comms and PR on ext 720 4687.
What will happen to the current 0845 408 7000 number?
The 0845 number will be phased out over the next six months. If a person calls it during the ‘phase out’ period, they will still get through to Wiltshire Police.
What will happen to all the information / signage etc that currently details the 0845 number?
The Project Lead, Bob Tofield, is currently working with the relevant departments (comms, stores, estates, fleet) to develop a phased timetable to change all the things that currently show the 0845 number. Clearly, the changing of 0845 to 101 on things such as police station signs, stationery etc will take a longer time due to cost implication and not wanting to waste current stock.
What are the timescales for the rollout?
The first Region that went ‘live’ with 101 was the South East region (Metropolitan, Surrey, Herts, Essex) on Monday 11 July. Wiltshire will be part of the ‘Region Two’ roll-out on Monday 19 September, alongside the other South West forces (Devon and Cornwall, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Avon and Somerset). It is anticipated that 101 will be live cross all forces in England and Wales by January 2012.
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