Campaign urges public to call Police on 101 in non-emergency situations

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.

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.