Catterline, Kinneff & Dunnottar Community Council

A new 101 non-emergency number will be launched across Scotland on Thursday 21 February 2013, and will replace the vast range of existing police force non-emergency numbers, including the Grampian Police 0845 600 5 700 number, which will be gradually phased out.

The introduction of the 101 non-emergency number will give the people of Scotland a new way to contact the police, seek advice, speak to a local officer or to report a crime that does not need an emergency response, for example:

• car theft;
  
• damage to property;
  
• a minor traffic collision;
  
• suspected drug use or dealing; 
• information about crime in their area.

The 101 non-emergency number is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It costs a flat rate of 15p per call and will connect the public to a police service centre in their local area. The number has already been launched successfully in England and Wales and is widely used.

The key reasons for introducing the 101 non-emergency number in Scotland are to:

• help keep people safe by giving them one easy-to-remember number for contacting the police, wherever they are in Scotland;
• make the police more accessible, while reducing pressure on the 999 system;
• help the police cut crime by making it easier for the public to pass on information;
• support the creation of a more efficient and effective police service for the people of Scotland;
• increase interoperability with England and Wales, with 101 becoming the nationally recognised non-emergency number for contacting the police across the UK.

The public should continue to call 999 in an emergency - when a crime is in progress, when someone suspected of a crime is nearby, when a life is in danger or when violence is being used or threatened.