A £1.4m AI call-routing system will automatically filter out non-policing queries, freeing up phone operators and reducing waiting times.
Officially rolled out across England and Wales in 2012, the 101 service enables the public to reach the police for non-emergency situations where an immediate response is not required. For instance, reporting a past crime or minor traffic collision.
But the service, which receives around 20 million calls a year, is often abused, with phone operators frequently having to contend with nuisance reports. Even when calls are legitimate, more than 20% of them - or four million - are not actually for policing matters and need to be redirected elsewhere. The AI call-routing system, backed by £1.4m in government investment, should allow operators to reduce the number of nuisance calls they take.
Crime and policing minister, Sarah Jones, said these operators are “wasting hours fielding calls meant for other organisations” and taking time away “from helping people...