derrick wrote on Jul 5^th, 2009 at 11:19am:


The information has since been moved. It has been cached by the Internet Archive:

http://lancashire.police.uk/index.php?id=2030]http://web.archive.org/web/2007101...[/url]


The new location is:

http://www.lancashire.police.uk/contact-us/in-person

I have updated the entry with this URL.


derrick wrote on Jul 5^th, 2009 at 11:19am:

Because, unlike search engines such as Google, the search text is not part of the URL.

Source: Sunday Mercury

http://www.sundaymercury.net/news/midlands-news/2009/07/12/west-midlands-police-...

West Midlands Police refuse to release phone numbers to public

Jul 12 2009 by Amardeep Bassey, Sunday Mercury

COPS have refused to reveal their cheaper landline phone numbers to the public – because they fear cut-price calls would just waste their time.

West Midlands Police urges people to dial a more expensive 0845 number for non-emergency calls.

But it has now refused a Freedom of Information request to detail cheaper 0121 landline contact details for stations and officers.

And, incredibly, the force claimed the move would ‘‘be likely to prejudice the prevention and detection of crime, the apprehension or prosecution of offenders and the administration of justice”.

The constabulary was the only force in England that cited Freedom of Information exemption rules to back up its decision.

The bizarre excuse was given to a local government campaigner after he wrote to all 52 police forces asking for their unpublicised normal rate numbers.

Calls to landlines beginning 01 or 02 are cheaper than ringing the 0845 numbers that most police forces now ask the public to use for non-emergency calls.

Each call can cost anything up to 40p per minute, depending on where the call is made from, at what time and on which network.

Freedom of Information campaigner Paul Janik, from Slough, Berkshire, said: “West Midlands Police is basically saying that it will not be able to carry out its crime-fighting duties properly if people know how to contact them on a number that is cheaper to call. It’s outrageous.”

The force introduced its 0845 number in 2002 and works on a call revenue sharing basis with local telecoms company NTL Telewest.

According to its own figures, about 1.7 million calls are made annually to the West Midlands Police 0845 number, netting the force £23,000 last year.

But public service organisations have come under increasing pressure to switch from 0845 and 0844 numbers after regulator Ofcom introduced 03, a non-geographic code that costs the same as calling a normal landline number.

Even the Association of Chief Police Officers has urged its members to change to 03 and to stop referring to 0845 numbers as local rate calls.

West Midlands Police authority recently discussed changing the number, but the chief constable’s report to the finance committee noted that switching to a cheaper tariff or freephone number might encourage “significantly more frivolous or vexatious calls.”

The report added that changing to an 03 number would mean extra costs to the force of £90,000 to £100,000 a year.

Yet the chief constable admitted that reverting to the old 0121 number would not incur any additional costs, apart from rebranding of about £10,000.

Other Midland police forces have recently changed, or plan to change, to 03 numbers.

Dave Lindsay, who contributes to the saynoto0870.com website, which campaigns for public bodies to switch to cheaper phone numbers, said: “All residents across the West Midlands can contact their local council by telephone without having to pay up to 40p per minute.

“It’s a different story when they need to contact the local constabulary, as it continues to use a revenue sharing number.

“It is unacceptable and West Midlands Police should stop taking a subsidy from callers by switching to a cheaper 03 number.”

Last night, Chief Inspector Mark Payne, of West Midlands Police, admitted that changing to an 03 number would benefit the public.

It would appear that the police forces that have revealed their geographic numbers have committed serious offences and are "compromising the operational effectiveness of their officers". Or it could be that they want to hold onto their revenue share!  I am unsure how revealing the 01 number could have such far reaching effects and it would be interesting to learn what could cause this obvious danger!!!! (West Midland police will not disclose information that could harm individuals,)

Dave wrote on Jul 16^th, 2009 at 7:12pm:


It is gratifying to learn that "Mr Plod" is only in charge at the highest levels in three of our Police Forces.    

Their spurious incredible excuses are presented without any explanation or justification.   They should be compelled to explain themselves.    

They look like idiots after all the other Forces offered their geographic numbers, including all the Special Forces, Private Police forces, those in Wales and Northern Ireland and the remainder in England and Scotland.

They could put this right, tell us their numbers and perhaps redeem their miserable small minded images.

Paul

(This is an "open PM")

Many congratulations to you on your achievements.

Let me endorse your thanks to all at saynoto0870.com for providing focus and connection for our campaigning efforts.

The telephone charges rip-off culture is being undermined and diminishing due to the efforts of us all. Public awareness is growing and the take-up of 03xx numbers is starting to gather pace, albeit much more slowly than we would have wished.

We must neither enter into despair nor complacency. There is much more to do.

David

Paul2 wrote on Jul 20^th, 2009 at 9:27pm:


Paul,

May I add my welcome to this Forum and our campaign and congratulate you on your recent achievements.

I am interested in what you mean by " a legally empowered public champion who can fight the telephone charges rip-off culture in court" and I invite you to expand on this idea or suggestion.    What do you have in mind?

Dave wrote on Jul 24^th, 2009 at 8:28pm:


Interesting that the West Midlands Police can see into the futue -- November 2009!

They seem to think that 03 numbers are FREE!!

Note that they have forgotten to consider using a normal geographic number which would probably be the lowest cost option both for the Police and the Public!