A new national police non-emergency telephone number ‘101’ has been introduced for Crawley, the whole Sussex Police area and has now been successfully rolled out across every force.
The ‘101’ number marks one of the most significant changes in the way people contact the police since 999 was introduced nearly 70 years ago. The British Crime Survey found that only half of the public know how to contact their local police if they want to talk to them about policing, crime or anti-social behaviour. With ‘101’ now in use across every police force in England and Wales, for the first time ever communities across the country have one easy way to contact their local police force to report non- emergency crime and disorder or to speak to their local officers.
With only around 25 per cent of 999 calls nationally requiring an emergency response from the police, I am confident that the ‘101’ number will also ease pressure on 999 services and support the police in delivering a more efficient and effective service to the public.
Calls to ‘101’ will cost 15 pence per call, no matter how long you are on the phone – this applies to both landlines and mobile phones. For the first time, everyone calling the police for non-emergency matters will know exactly how much the call will cost them and many will be spared the cost of traditional 0845 numbers previously used by several forces, including Sussex Police, which can cost up to 40 pence per minute.
The public should continue to call 999 in an emergency, such as when a crime is in progress, when someone suspected of a crime is nearby, when there is danger to life or when violence is being used or threatened. Any calls to the '101' number which require an emergency response will be put straight through to 999.
Further information for the public can be found online at: www.police.uk/101
The strength of the new service is that it an easily memorable national number but the response is by local forces. Together with street level crime mapping – at www.police.uk - and the election of Police and Crime Commissioners, scheduled for November this year; ‘101’ marks another step forward in our ambition to strengthen the connection between the police and public, and cut crime.
A national non-emergency number was promised by the last Labour government but never introduced. By contrast, this Government has delivered, with a service that has already received over two and a half million calls.
Henry Smith MP