Do cops want to know about small crimes? Statistics abuse?

[Conian]

Just seen a thread in Biker Banter, where some cyclist was possibly trying to scam some insurance money off a biker that didn't collide with him.

Someone asked.... OK whats the number to get the cops now... not the 999 one?
General answer was.. "errrr???"

Since you can't call 999 for non urgent stuff any more, I think the number is something like 08457 444 777 or something like that.

So... why not 888 or something?
Do they not want us to report 'small' crimes.

"Oh I just saw something dodgy, when I get home in 90 mins time I will dig out the Yellow Pages, spend an hour finding the number and then report it!"

Big long number so we wont report crimes that they cant / cant be bothered to solve?

[Hedders]

Can you call that number for free from a phone box?

[Conian]

Dunno

[scorp]

Hedders said:

Can you call that number for free from a phone box?

You wouldn't think so, 0845 = local charges ?

[stackmonkey]

Conian said:

Since you can't call 999 for non urgent stuff any more,

You never could, most county/regional forces have a local rate number to call now for non urgent stuff.

[Conian]

So then?
Cops have cut down the easy of reporting small crimes, and the opportunity.
Less crimes reported = better crime figures.

How do they word it when they report crime figures?

This year there were less reported crims (true maybe?)

or

This year there was a decrease in crime (lies!)

[Puggit]

I just have the TVP number in my mobile, so I don't need to remember it!

0845 8505505 if anyone wants to know

[JamesFiesta]

Wiltshire 0845 408 7000... again, saved in my phone and splattered down the side of every marked vehicle, so it's not like they're hiding it.

It's available on t'interweb, phonebook etc etc. Tis nothing to do with not wanting to take reports of crimes, It is to do with grading things that are a genuine emergency (offenders still at scene, people/property in danger and so on) and things that can be followed up at a later date (known offenders, no immediate danger etc etc).

Edited by JamesFiesta on Tuesday 5th February 15:55

[Hedders]

I would have thought they could just let you dial 999 and tell them (or press a key to tell them) it is not an emergency.

Having different numbers for different types of crime and different police forces makes no sense at all.

Edited by Hedders on Tuesday 5th February 23:30

[Chrispy Porker]

Hedders said:

I would have thought they could just let you dial 999 and tell them (or press a key to tell them) it is not an emergency.

Having different numbers for different types of crime and different police forces makes no sense at all.

Edited by Hedders on Tuesday 5th February 23:30

tell who?
The operators who ask you what service you require ( who are not police)?
They would be permanently engaged.
What if you want to speak to the fire brigade but its not an emergency,
or the ambulance, coastguard, how many buttons do you want??

Every force has had a well publicised number for non urgent calls for decades.
If people can't be arsed to find it, well thats tough.

[Hedders]

Chrispy Porker said:

Hedders said:

I would have thought they could just let you dial 999 and tell them (or press a key to tell them) it is not an emergency.

Having different numbers for different types of crime and different police forces makes no sense at all.

Edited by Hedders on Tuesday 5th February 23:30

tell who?
The operators who ask you what service you require ( who are not police)?
They would be permanently engaged.
What if you want to speak to the fire brigade but its not an emergency,
or the ambulance, coastguard, how many buttons do you want??

Every force has had a well publicised number for non urgent calls for decades.
If people can't be arsed to find it, well thats tough.

They seem to make it work ok in every other developed country in the world I have been too. Why is it so much harder here?

Lets be honest, it is a cost cutting exercise with a few nice little bonus side effects.

[Chrispy Porker]

No
In the good old days every division had a control room dealing with non urgent calls.As well as 999 calls.
I know. I used to work in one.

All well and good and then some idiot invented mobile phones.
Phone calls to the police increased about twenty-fold.
Often 20 people would ring about 1 incident. Not surprisingly the system could not cope and so there are now large regional comms centres.THey are the people who take details of incidents over the phone. They have scores of staff, whereas there were 3 or 4 in our old control room.

THe idea that the police are trying to make it harder to report crime is daft.You can even do it online now.
Every force has a website.

Come to think of it, when I joined we were not allowed to take crime details over the phone! Crime reporting is easier now than it has ever been.

Edited by Chrispy Porker on Wednesday 6th February 00:54

[Hedders]

How come in all these other countries (that also have mobile phones) they can all dial one number and the call gets routed geographically ( I assume) And then they explain what service they require.

There are lots more people in the states than here and they all dial 911 to get in touch with the emergency services. It is idiot proof, just what we need here these days :P

[vonhosen]

In this country you will get routed to the closest geographic emergency control room, but that's 'emergency' control room.

In the USA 911 is an emergency number just like ours. You are not supposed to use it for non-emergency calls, just like ours.

http://www.sfgov.org/site/police_index.asp?id=1945...

Edited by vonhosen on Wednesday 6th February 06:53

[Derek Smith]

vonhosen said:

In this country you will get routed to the closest geographic emergency control room, but that's 'emergency' control room.

That's a good idea. I've had calls into the Sussex control room from the M62, various parts of Wales, Devon and once, rather remarkably, from the Scottish borders. One person called from somewhere between 'Cambridge and Chester'. My controller suggested she meant alphabetically and for the rest of the night we got a list of locations with one faction goine for the route and the other dictionarywise. It was fun to begin with. We would often get calls of, 'Anyone know where [for instance] Hextable is?'

It's quite difficult to find the non-emergency number for various police forces. They are hidden in telephone directories, in Yellow Pages, in Yell.com, and on the internet. Sometimes it takes minutes to find the one you want. Sussex looked into having the option in the switching centre of 'Emergency, which service: police, fire, ambulance, coastguards, non-emergency police number?'. But a little research showed that it was a non-starter. It would have taken too long and there's a finite number of connections and one would not be too happy when your house is on fire, waiting for someone who want to report a bonfire next door.

0845 6070999 for Sussex. Forces are forced to pay extra for such 'magic' numbers that are easy to remember.

[streaky]

Derek Smith said:

vonhosen said:

In this country you will get routed to the closest geographic emergency control room, but that's 'emergency' control room.

That's a good idea. I've had calls into the Sussex control room from the M62, various parts of Wales, Devon and once, rather remarkably, from the Scottish borders. One person called from somewhere between 'Cambridge and Chester'. My controller suggested she meant alphabetically and for the rest of the night we got a list of locations with one faction goine for the route and the other dictionarywise. It was fun to begin with. We would often get calls of, 'Anyone know where [for instance] Hextable is?'

It's quite difficult to find the non-emergency number for various police forces. They are hidden in telephone directories, in Yellow Pages, in Yell.com, and on the internet. Sometimes it takes minutes to find the one you want. Sussex looked into having the option in the switching centre of 'Emergency, which service: police, fire, ambulance, coastguards, non-emergency police number?'. But a little research showed that it was a non-starter. It would have taken too long and there's a finite number of connections and one would not be too happy when your house is on fire, waiting for someone who want to report a bonfire next door.

0845 6070999 for Sussex. Forces are forced to pay extra for such 'magic' numbers that are easy to remember.

Or possibly because the bean-counters wanted loads of promotions read out first to maximise income from the premium rate number they would have advocated - Streaky

[Hedders]

Derek Smith said:

0845 6070999 for Sussex. Forces are forced to pay extra for such 'magic' numbers that are easy to remember.

It IS purely ano9ther cost cutting exercise then, we are paying for this stuff and they keep charging us more while decreasing the quality of service offered to us. I want pewople to call the police if they see people damaging my property. They are far less likely to that id they have to go home and look up the number and then pay to report what they saw!

[Conian]

I'm not saying that the phone number is not available.

I'm saying that if I saw something happening that needed reporting urgently (yet still not at this point an emergency) it's not easy to do it right away.

I dont carry Yellow Pages with me, I dont have mobile internet and what if there is no cop van with the number on the side nearby?

What if I have the local number stored in my mobile.. but I'm in another county.

Why not a unique non emergency number... 888 or 666 (copper comes upseide down)

[FishFace]

Hedders said:

Derek Smith said:

0845 6070999 for Sussex. Forces are forced to pay extra for such 'magic' numbers that are easy to remember.

It IS purely ano9ther cost cutting exercise then, we are paying for this stuff and they keep charging us more while decreasing the quality of service offered to us. I want pewople to call the police if they see people damaging my property. They are far less likely to that id they have to go home and look up the number and then pay to report what they saw!

I'd suggest that comes under a CRIME IN PROGRESS and should use the 999 system...

Conian said:

I'm saying that if I saw something happening that needed reporting urgently (yet still not at this point an emergency) it's not easy to do it right away.

999...

[AndyRw]

Hedders said:

I want pewople to call the police if they see people damaging my property.

Crime in progress is a 999 call.

Conian said:

Why not a unique non emergency number... 888 or 666 (copper comes upseide down)

There's been an experiment into precisely that:

http://www.101.gov.uk/

Unfortunately 101 is only in certain areas as a pilot. The government has indicated they are not going to continue funding. That leaves it to the local councils to pay for the call centre and some of the pilot areas have already shut down their service. I've heard lots of good things about it because it's not just about Crime - they can deal with council matters too. And if you report something like graffiti, they not only pass the matter to the Police, they'll contact the relevant council to arrange for cleaning - just the kind of joined up working that is needed.