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Mason contributes to strategy that led to successful delivery of ‘101’ single non-emergency contact for the police
The roll-out of the government’s 101 non-emergency number scheme is nearly complete, and five police forces across the north of England (North Yorkshire, Cleveland, Cumbria, Durham and Northumbria) have now introduced the new number in their regions.
101 replaces the many telephone numbers used by the police for non-emergency calls. The roll-out started in July 2011, following the previous government’s commitment to establish the call-handling scheme in England and Wales by March 2012. It is hoped that 101 will improve public satisfaction with the police, and help empower them to report low-level crime and disorder, making the police more accessible to their local communities.
Mason, a division of Analysys Mason Limited, advised the Home Office on the feasibility of the government’s original commitment by undertaking a review of existing single non-emergency number (SNEN) schemes in the UK, and assessing the commercial and technical options for extending those pilot projects. As part of the study, Mason engaged with a wide range of stakeholders, including members of the 101 Liaison Committee, police forces, the Association of Chief Police Officers, Ofcom, telecoms providers, the National Policing Improvement Agency and others.
Mason Manager Ed King, who was involved in the project, believes it represents a step in the right direction. King said, “The work we undertook for the Home Office demonstrated that the scheme had clear benefits for the public. At the start of the work, no one we contacted knew their local force’s non-emergency number, and there’s also the issue of what number to call when you’re travelling. ‘101’ is a simple, elegant solution to this issue.”
