This in from the Police, in their own words. Ed
Following the national roll out of 101 to all police forces in England and Wales, Hampshire Constabulary’s non-emergency number 0845 045 4545 will now be fully replaced by 101.
Residents in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight should always dial 101 if they want to contact an officer or member of staff, report a crime that doesn’t require an immediate response, or have a general police-related enquiry.
Available 24/7
The easy-to-remember 101 number is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Calls from landlines and mobile phone networks cost 15 pence per call, no matter what time of day or how long you are on the phone.
Alternatively, Hampshire Constabulary still operates its landline number 01962 841534. People that are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired can textphone 18001 101.
Hampshire first to launch 101
Chief Superintendent Matthew Greening said, “In 2006, Hampshire Constabulary was the first police force in the country to launch the 101 number as an alternative to 999, with the aim to make contacting us for non-emergencies a lot easier.
“We currently receive more than 22,000 calls a month to 101, showing that we are providing a valuable and sought-after service to our communities.
“Ease of access to the police is vital in improving our relations with the communities we serve. We recognise that different people within our communities have individual needs when it comes to contacting the police; that’s why we’re continually looking at ways of improving access to us for everyone in our community, particularly those who are vulnerable or those who have difficulty contacting the police by popular means such as the telephone or the internet.”
The 0845 number will be phased out over a number of years to allow all marketing material, stationary and livery to be updated over time without incurring additional costs.
Image: Trace Meek under CC BY 2.0
