Public to ring 101 for non-emergency service

The new Single Non-Emergency Number (SNEN) will be 101 the Home Office confirmed this month, with the first wave of areas preparing to pilot the new service from May.

The SNEN has been partly designed to handle the estimated seven million 999 calls each year which relate to non-emergency issues. Under this new initiative the SNEN service will cover a range of minor crimes and community concerns including vandalism and graffiti, abandoned vehicles, rubbish and litter – including fly tipping – and drug-related anti-social behaviour.

The service will initially be launched in five ‘Wave 1’ areas, consisting of partnerships between forces and local authorities in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Northumbria, Leicester and Rutland, Sheffield and Cardiff, with the SNEN available to the public in all these areas by the summer. The service will then be rolled out in two further waves, and should be available across England and Wales by 2008.

Announcing the new number, Home Office Minister Hazel Blears said: “In 2004 there were around 10 million calls to the 999 emergency service, around 70 per cent of which were not emergencies. The Single Non-Emergency Number service will put callers directly in touch with specially trained operators for information and advice on non-emergency matters.

“Vandalism, graffiti, dumped rubbish, fly-tipping, abandoned cars, relentless noise and nuisance neighbours all have a long-lasting and corrosive effect on the quality of people`s lives. The SNEN represents significant new investment to strengthen community engagement and tackle the anti-social behaviour that blights local communities.”

Leicestershire Assistant Chief Constable Mike Goodwin, ACPO lead on anti-social behaviour issues, said the launch of the SNEN should improve access to non-emergency services as well as reducing the current misuse of the 999 number by callers.

“Misuse of the current 999 service can seriously detract police resources away from tackling genuine emergencies, such as where there is a crime in progress or there is a life in danger,” said ACC Goodwin.

“This new co-ordinated partnership between police and local authorities will assist in tackling anti-social behaviour including those often difficult and protracted ‘quality of life’ issues, where the resolution is not normally just an issue for police alone.

“The SNEN will fully support the police service’s commitment to neighbourhood policing, in achieving a visible difference in neighbourhoods, improving safety and reducing the fear of crime.”

Unlike the 999 service, calls to the SNEN will be charged at 10p per call, although the charge will be reviewed once the pilot gets underway; eventually, the service is expected to be expanded to include text and email access.

The service will be provided jointly by the police and local authorities, and call handling may be dealt with by ether organisation; the partnerships will be able to determine the best approach for their areas to ensure effective service delivery.

However, the Home Office confirmed that there was a recognised risk of an increase in recorded crime as a result of callers reporting incidents such as vandalism and graffiti which would previously have gone unrecorded.

The effect on crime recording will be examined as part of the evaluation of Wave 1; a working group made up of representatives from the Home Office NSIR/NCRS team, ACPO and the Wave 1 Partnerships will look at data capture.

See the contact management feature on P20-23.

The timetable for the SNEN Wave 2 implementation is:

March 29, 2006 – Introducing 101 conference

June 2, 2006 – Submission of expressions of interest

June 16, 2006 – Wave 2 Partnerships announced

June 28, 2006 – Wave 2 ‘Kick off’ event for selected partnerships

June 28-October 5, 2006 – Wave 2 development phase

October 6, 2006 – Submission of Wave 2 Proposals

October 31, 2006 – Funding Agreements signed

November 1, 2006 – Implementation of Wave 2 Partnerships begins

January 1-June 30, 2007 – Wave 2 Partnerships launch 101 serv