999 calls still rising

Oct 6 2006 By Guy Basnett, The Journal

It was heralded as the answer to the 999 conundrum - how to stop members of the public calling up the emergency hotline with non-emergencies.

After years of debate, police and council officials launched the 101 number in July, at a cost of £4.6m, hoping to ease the pressure on the overstretched system.

It was hoped that would divert callers away from 999 - where 70% of the calls made are described as "non-urgent".

But last night, the officer in charge of the new non-emergency helpline revealed that calls to 999 have actually increased.

Police added that the rise may be down to people being more inclined to pick up the phone to report the smallest of incidents.

In the ongoing publicity blitz since 101's launch in July, people are being actively encouraged to field calls on low-level crime, such as vandalism, graffiti, noisy neighbours and fly-tipping.

Northumbria Superintendent Neil Adamson said: "During the short period that 101 has been in operation we have experienced an increase in the number of 999 calls.

"[It] may be an indication that members of the public are now more willing to report matters." He said the increase may be down to a surge in calls during the unusually hot summer, which included the World Cup.

Despite the increase, a spokeswoman for 101 insisted she was not dissatisfied with the results.

"It's not a disappointment at all," she said. "We're getting lots of calls ourselves. To date we have had nearly 50,000 calls, which is a massive success.

"We had no idea we would be getting this number of calls so early on."

In all, since its July launch, the 101 number has received 49,088 calls. The 101 spokeswoman said the "vast majority" of calls were on the low-level incidents the service was set up for, and "very few" were serious emergency calls.

"There doesn't seem to have been any confusion," she said.

The scheme was funded by a Government grant and has 150 trained advisers in three police and council centres at Ponteland, Newcastle and Sunderland.

It covers the Northumbria Police force area of Northumberland and Tyne and Wear.

The system allows people to call 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week at 10p a call.

It was launched as the first part of a national roll-out that will see the service introduced to London and parts of Yorkshire by next summer, and nationally by 2009.

Northumbria Police Assistant Chief Constable Greg Vant said he was not expecting 999 calls to fall yet.

"The 101 service is still very much in its infancy and it is too early to draw any conclusions about what impact the service will have on 999," he said.

"We were not expecting any big changes so early."

Northumbria Police received around 240,000 emergency calls last year. In June 2006 it took around 18,100, but that rose in July to more than 25,000.

Supt Adamson added: "We would keep encouraging the public to use 101 to report anti-social behaviour and only use 999 for emergency purposes."

The `101' number should be used to report:

* Threatening and abusive behaviour;

* Vandalism and graffiti;

* Drunken and rowdy groups;

* Broken street lighting;

* Drugs-related anti-social behaviour;

* Abandoned vehicles, dumping and fly-tipping;

* Noisy neighbours and loud parties.

The number should not be called for:

* Any "life or death" situation;

* Where the incident requires an immediate "blue-light" emergency response.