The Government is making the 101 non-emergency number free for the public, including victims of crime, from April 2020. The Home Office will spend £5m a year to fund the service, which receives around 30 million calls annually. Callers to the 101 number are connected to their local police force, or a force of their choice, and charged 15p a time.
Home Secretary Sajid Javid said: “It’s vital members of the public have confidence in the police and are able to report any non-emergency incidents in a convenient and accessible way. Scrapping the charge for making a 101 call will benefit millions of people every year – especially the vulnerable. We are also continuing to work with the police to develop a new website, the Single Online Home, to provide the public with the option of reporting crime online.”
A recent HMIC report, ‘A system under pressure‘, found a decrease in the number of 101 calls that many of the inspected forces received. The England and Wales overall rate for 101 calls went down by 3 percent; while the number of calls to the 999 emergency number rose. A 2018 Public Perceptions of Policing in England and Wales survey showed a decrease in the proportion of respondents who think the police are easy to get hold of in an emergency. The report stated: “This, together with the increase in 999 calls and the decrease in 101 calls, suggests the public are losing confidence in 101. Rather than wait for a 101 call to be answered, they instead phone 999 …”
The Home Office is funding police forces to create a new website where the public will be able to contact the police and report crimes online. The Single Online Home (SOH), is being launched in full in the summer to reflect changes in how the public are interacting with the police. The 101 service was launched in England and Wales in December 2011, as a memorable and accessible number for non-emergency contact with the police.
It should be used to contact police when an emergency response is not required. For example:
if your car has been stolen
if your property has been damaged
if you suspect drug use or dealing in your neighbourhood
to give the police information about crime in your area
to speak to the police about a general enquiry.
The public should continue to call the free 999 service for emergencies.
