A campaign reminding the public they should call their local police on 101 for non-emergency issues is being launched by the Home Office. Radio and digital advertising will show non-emergency situations when the public should dial 101, helping raise awareness and understanding of the service.
More than three quarters of 999 calls received by the police are for non-emergencies, such as people reporting that their home has been burgled, their vehicle has been stolen, or wanting to discuss anti-social behaviour in their local area. To help the police tackle crime effectively, the public is being reminded they should call 101 to speak to the police when there isn’t a crime in progress or risk of violence or to life. The campaign will also encourage the public to remind their family and friends of the service.
A quick way to contact the police
101 is an easy-to-remember number for the public to call the police, and is designed to reduce the number of non-emergency 999 calls. This allows the police to respond more quickly to genuine emergencies, such as when someone is in immediate danger, a crime is happening right now, or a suspect for a serious crime is nearby.
Launched in 2012, it now covers all police forces across the UK (including Police Scotland and the Police Service of Northern Ireland), and has replaced individual forces’ local numbers. A call to 101 costs just 15 pence no matter how long your call is. Not only is this cheaper than some forces’ local numbers, the single rate for every call means you know exactly how much your call will cost.
You should call 101 if you want to talk to your local police officer, get crime prevention advice, or report a crime that does not need an emergency response, for example:
- if your car has been stolen
- your property has been damaged
- you suspect drug use or dealing
- you want to report a minor traffic collision, or
- you want to give the police information about crime in your area
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
