Less than 40% know to dial 101 to contact police non-emergency line

Less than 40% of local residents know how to contact the police in non-emergency situations, a new report has shown.

The report, published today by North Yorkshire's Police Commissioner Julia Mulligan, suggests that awareness of the national '101' non-emergency police hotline is failing to take hold.

Commissioner Mulligan ordered the report following concerns over the use of the number and fears that a lack of awareness of the line could put excessive pressure on the emergency 999 service. 

There is some good news for the Commissioner however, as the report shows:

• 88 per cent of people surveyed found 101 easy to use;
• 75 per cent of callers were extremely or very satisfied with the service from the handler of their call;
• Just 14 per cent of people calling 101 chose to abandon their call before it was answered; and
• Those asked indicated they would be happy to contact the police via other means.

Commenting on her findings, Ms Mulligan said, "The 101 number was introduced to help people report incidents to their local force easily and to reduce pressure on the 999 emergency line.

"So three years after its launch, it’s worrying that awareness of the number is so low. However, with the Home Office reviewing the service, these new insights couldn’t have come at a better time and will hopefully highlight the need to raise awareness of the number and understanding of when to use it."

Chief Superintendent Amanda Oliver at North Yorkshire Police added, "We are always looking for ways to make our service as accessible and effective as possible, so we welcome this report as one of a number of pieces of research that are helping us to hone in on areas where we might improve.

"The 101 service was introduced nationally in 2011, and other national reports show that the use of the service across the country has trebled since that time.  It is heartening that this latest survey shows that North Yorkshire is ahead of the pack when it comes to awareness of 101, but it is still clear that we need to take every opportunity we possibly can to remind people of the 101 non-emergency number and when to use it. 

"It is interesting that a percentage of people think that 911 – the American emergency services number – is the number to call for a non-urgent situation, which is probably down to US cop shows on TV.  It shows how powerful these things can be, and just how hard we need to work to get 101 recognised against a background of so many other conflicting messages."

The report was based on research amongst 1,001 adults across England and Wales and included 300 people from North Yorkshire.