Dyfed-Powys Police Launch Upgraded 101 Service

Dyfed-Powys Police has upgraded its 101 non emergency telephone service to provide callers with a list of pre-recorded options to help speed up their enquiry and reduce waiting times.

Benefits for the public include faster reporting of incidents and reduced waiting times while partner agencies will benefit by being able to directly dial internal extension numbers.

The upgraded bi-lingual service will enable calls to be directed to the most appropriate resource more quickly and deliver lower running costs providing value for money.

The upgraded 101 service will enable the Force to provide communities with an enhanced service that should be even more convenient to access for the majority of people.

Callers to 101 will automatically be directed to the force in the area they are calling from; in Dyfed Powys they will first be able contact another force if needed, and then to speak in Welsh if desired, after that callers will receive the following four options:

(1) Report a new incident

(2) Receive an update on an existing incident or for general information or advice

(3) Direct Dial a number if the extension number is known

(4) All other enquiries

Once a caller has selected their desired option a police call handler will answer and respond appropriately, for example connecting a caller to a police officer or despatching officers to deal with incidents. If an incident is recognised as an emergency, it will be upgraded and prioritised.

The new system enables police call handlers to prioritise calls to 101 reporting new incidents, the Force is aiming to answer 90% of this type of call within 45 seconds.

Superintendent Huw Meredith, Head of Customer Service Delivery, Dyfed-Powys Police, said: “101 is an excellent service for the public if they need to report incidents of crime, disorder or anti-social behaviour that do not require an emergency response. Our new upgraded service will improve efficiency even further, which is good news for our communities.

“Using 101 for non emergency incidents will free up capacity on the 999 system so we can make sure that emergency calls relating to life or death situations, crimes in progress or violent incidents can be dealt with in the fastest possible time. We want everyone to be as familiar with the 101 number as they are the 999 number, and use it appropriately,” he added.

The upgraded 101 system will also give police in Dyfed-Powys the ability to create pre-recorded messages that can be played to callers in the event of major incidents.

101 is available 24 hours a day seven days a week 365 days a year; calls from a landline or a mobile to 101 will cost 15p for the entire call, no matter how long the call or the time of day. Police forces and the Government receive no money from calls to 101. Deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired callers can access 101 via the Text Relay Service using a textphone by dialling 18001 101.