Source: The Harlow Herald

http://www.harlowherald.co.uk/content/hlwherald/news/story.aspx?brand=HLHOnline&...

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Police launch non-emergency number
08:34 - 22 March 2008




THE new non-emergency police number is currently being advertised on the side of Harlow buses to make residents aware of the new service.

The non-emergency number has been set up for all enquiries to Essex Police and is a 24-hour, seven days a week service that will connect callers to the relevant person, department or station.

The number, 0300 333 4444, is appearing on the sides of 19 First Buses Essex in Harlow.

This number does not replace the emergency number 999 which should be used if there is an emergency, a serious risk of injury or serious damage to property.

Deputy Chief Constable Andy Bliss said: "The non-emergency number will improve telephone access to the police ensuring that all calls are dealt with quickly and effectively.

"By having a memorable, low cost, non-emergency telephone number for the whole county it will be easier to contact Essex Police even when you are away from home.

"You can still contact your local neighbourhood police officer on their mobile telephone number, which can be found on our website www.essex.police.uk or by texting your postcode to 07624 800 101."

The price of the call will be the same as a local call on a 01 (01279) or 02 (0208) number and will be included in inclusive minutes and discount packages.
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Source: Falmouth Packet

http://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/mostpopular.var.2113692.mostcommented.mp_concern...

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MP concerned about police phone charges

Andrew George, MP for the West Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Constituency of St Ives, has today called on the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary to ensure that responsible citizens are not deterred from reporting useful information to the police by the price of calls to its non-emergency contact number.

Mr George had raised concerns that calls to the 0845 prefix number, which is promoted by the police as a local rate service, are generating profits for the force due to changes in the telecoms market since the prefix was first introduced which now make it more expensive than a normal local call. The number is also much more expensive to call using mobile or pay phones.

Mr George raised these concerns in a letter to Chief Constable Mr Stephen Otter who assured him that the force has "no intention of using the non-emergency number as a significant income generation device". Mr George, however, wants the Constabulary to speed up its plans to switch to a less expensive non-emergency number and to be clear with the public about what calls will cost.
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"The police should not profit from responsible citizens who report helpful information using the non-emergency line," said the MP.

"Whilst I appreciate that the apparent profit is only a small fraction of the cost to the Constabulary of operating the service it is important that the police find a system which does not add costs to local people who have already paid for this service through their taxes.

"I hope the Constabulary can find a system which reduces the cost to local people and that, in the meantime, the local rate call' claims in their publicity are corrected."

1:01pm Wednesday 12th March 2008
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bbb_uk wrote on Apr 2^nd, 2008 at 9:49am:

See this FOI response.

Quote:

So Devon & Cornwall is on course to "generate" over £10,000 this year.

Source: Northumbria Police

http://ww1.northumbria.police.uk/ePolicing/web/wms.nsf/NewsReleaseContentDocs/NW...

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Force rings the changes with new Non-emergency number
Same service but cheaper

01/04/2008

Northumbria Police is ringing the changes with a new forcewide non-emergency number.

The new telephone line, which is cheaper to call, is now in operation.

The new number - 03456 043 043 - replaces the 08456 prefix and is charged at the same rate as a local call.

Superintendent Derek Scott, from the force's Communications Department, said: "This number is cheaper to use than the previous 08456 number, and in many cases it will be free as part of an existing call package – especially in the evening and at weekends.

"It will provide exactly the same service as the old number and should be used in any non-emergency situation.

"It can be used if you want to report a non emergency incident, to contact your local Neighbourhood Policing team or to speak to an officer of member of staff."

Remember, in an emergency you should still dial 999.

Your call will be treated as an emergency when:

someone's life is in danger

a vulnerable person is at risk

a crime is in progress or immediate action is needed to secure evidence

there has been a road crash involving serious injury or which is causing serious traffic congestion

there is a public disturbance or disorder
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NGMsGhost wrote on Apr 14^th, 2008 at 6:43pm:

Praise must be given to Northumbria for changing to 03. Same goes for Essex as well.

Whilst there are always going to be some who drag their feet and prefer to hang on to the revenue, there are some which are known to be reviewing the situation, as the articles published on this thread show.

Unfortunately the situation in Scotland appears somewhat at odds to this with a 0845 number in the pipeline for all of the forces there. It is to be hoped that consideration will be given to the new 03 prefix.

Source: Carnoustie Community Council

http://www.carnoustiecommunitycouncil.org/previousMinutes.htm

Minutes of the meeting held on Monday, February 25th, 2008

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Guest Speaker. Mrs Louise Fraser, Coordinator of the Tayside Police Force Communication Centre had been invited to attend the meeting after concerns that non-emergency calls were not being processed quickly enough.

Mrs Fraser said that she was very concerned that this issue had been brought up repeatedly at Community Council meetings since the inauguration of the current central system. She explained that anyone dialling the local station number are now re-routed to the central communication centre, where their query is dealt with. Currently there are three numbers to call, but all eight Scottish police forces are going down the route of having a single non-emergency number for each force. Subsequently, from the middle of April, the public will phone 0845 6005705 for Tayside Police and the number of the Carnoustie Station will no longer be published, but anyone dialling it will still be re-routed to the centre for several months.

Mrs Fraser explained that problems have been experienced at certain times when the high volume of calls proves difficult for the number of call handlers on duty. She stressed that the centre is fully staffed but to over-staff it would be a waste of public funds. She appealed for the public to be patient at busy times, as call handlers could be dealing with an accident etc. She said she had checked logged calls and found that 13% of callers hang up immediately if their call isn’t answered straight away and that the longest any caller had had to wait for their call to be answered was four minutes. She said she appreciated that this could seem like a very long time to the caller, but the issue should be viewed in perspective.

E. Oswald pointed out that he had voiced concerns two years ago re the centralising of the call-handling system and he felt that it is not acceptable that over 12% of the public do not get through and that four minutes is far too long to wait for the phone to be answered. He stressed that the police force is a service and should not be treated as a business and he fears that the bond between the police and the public is being lost.

Mrs Fraser replied that the public needs to see that the system is changing but the police are working with limited resources. With the new system will come options, which will filter the calls, dividing them into lost property, crime reporting etc. It is hoped that this will go some way towards stopping the system becoming clogged.

Mrs McMahon described community councillors recent visit to the communication centre. She expressed surprise that there were only 2-3 call handlers on duty and questioned Mrs Fraser about reports that Carnoustie calls are in effect to be re-routed through Pitlochry. Mrs Fraser denied that this had happened, although it was there as a safety option if the system couldn’t cope.

E. Oswald expressed concern that any local calls should be answered outwith the area, but Mrs Fraser replied that it was surely better that the call was answered, be it in whatever part of the country. She explained that the centre employs an electronic mapping system which pinpoints exact locations and that police can no longer sustain its ‘local’ identity. More call handlers are due to be hired prior to the next implementation of the new service.

D. Ford asked whether the system has been designed by the police or a civilian agency. Mrs Fraser answered that it has been drawn up by BT, with police advice.

Mrs Fraser concluded by appealing for the public to get in touch with her if they have experienced difficulties as it is in everyone’s interest to iron out problems in the system.

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Dave wrote on Apr 19^th, 2008 at 7:41am:


Perhaps someone should attempt to ask the Chief Constable to prosecute himself for wilfully breaching Part III of the Consumer Protection 1987?

I suppose we could give him a last chance by refering him to the recent announcements by Essex and Cumbria Police.  I thought the Essex bus painted up with the new 03 number was a particularly effective image.

An obvious angle is to make a formal complaint (but refuse to accept an informal resolution and demand the formal complaints process) to Professional Standards at your local Police force then if/when you reach deadlock and they continue to insist 0845 is "local rate" or refuse to change to 03 numbers take your complaint to the Independent Police Complaints Commission

See www.westyorkshire.police.uk/section-item.asp?sid=6&iid=106

and

See www.ipcc.gov.uk/index/complainants/forms.htm

Quote:


That would be sure to set the cat amongst the pigeons a lot more than an FOI or a complaint to the Police Authority (who are always in bed with the Police Force) with these hardened 0845 abusing Police authorities.

Now that two police forces have changed it really shouldn't be that difficult to roll the rest of them over.  They will cite waiting till the end of the current contract with their telecoms supplier but in reality all these contracts can be changed to use 03 at any time.  It merely involves offering to pay the telecoms supplier more money.  That is what is so unacceptable about the excuse being used to let doctors surgeries or NHS Direct hang on to their 0844 numbers.

jgxenite wrote on Apr 19^th, 2008 at 9:47am:


They have just been missold to them using PITO like all the rest of them.   If it comes in as a formal complaint appeal they will have to investigate it.  The fact that Essex and Cumbria have now changed to 03 makes their arguments against moving to 03 a lot harder to justify.

The biggest complaint of all worth pursuing to the Parliamentary Ombudsman via your MP is about Ofcom and their failure to adequately publicise and inform the public that 084/7 calls are not local/national rate, failure to ensure accurate price indications (description as local rate and national rate) on phone bills and failuure to promote and explain on an adequate national basis the purpose and advantages of their new 03 dialling code.  It is from the pathetic and disgraceful failures of the regulator, who should have protected the public against abuse on all these issues (as is indeed their principal remit under Section 3(i) of  the Communciations Act 2003), that all these other thousands of instances of 084/7 misuse and missellling then inevitably arise.

The Police 0845 use is a big one worth going for because if they and the BBC all change over it will then apply huge pressure for governemnt agencies like DVLA and HMCE to aslo fall into line.