New AI software is to be used to cut waiting times for reporting crimes to the police. This will be used to help unclog the 101 service, which receives high levels of misdirected, nuisance and prank calls.
The police’s non-emergency line receives 20 million calls each year and around 20 per cent of these are for non-policing organisations such as local councils, NHS 111 or the 105 power outage helpline.
Some of the calls are also for things like slow pizza delivery, bad pub service or requests for a lift.
Currently misdirected and nuisance calls are only identified after someone has spoken to a handler, wasting the caller’s time and increasing wait times for people who need police assistance.
The new system uses an AI model to match why someone is calling 101 to a set of likely reasons, then redirects non-police issues to the correct agency before the caller enters a queue.
The system has been developed by the Home Office and National Police Chiefs’ Council, with delivery partner Vodafone Business and it backed by £1.4 million of government funding.
It is estimated that it will save policing up to £8.5 million each year.
During pilots in 15 police forces it successfully diverted non-police issues including damage-only road traffic incidents, fly tipping and noise complaints to the right agencies. The system has been tested to ensure that its performance is not affected by factors such as callers’ accents and phrasing.
There are also safeguards in place to ensure that no one in need of police assistance is ever accidently diverted. Callers are told how the system has understood their reason for calling and must accept or reject this. Callers will always be able to speak to a handler if they wish.
The 999 emergency system has not changed.
Crime and Policing Minister, Sarah Jones, said: "Police call handlers are wasting hours fielding calls meant for other organisations. Every minute spent on these calls is time taken away from helping people who genuinely need their support.
"AI is already helping police catch dangerous criminals and speed up investigations. Now, it will help bring control rooms into the 21st century, freeing up time and unlocking millions of pounds. Forces can reinvest those savings into tackling the crime on our streets."
National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Contact Operations, A/Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Hooper, said: "This innovation addresses a long-standing challenge in public contact by using AI to triage and redirect non-police calls. It’ll help forces manage demand more effectively, freeing up call handlers to focus on those who genuinely need police support.
"By reducing unnecessary call handling, this system marks a major step forward in modernising how the public interacts with policing – making services more efficient, responsive, and easier to navigate.
"We’re extremely grateful to our partners at the Home Office and Vodafone, whose work and vision have been essential in designing and delivering this capability."
