Dorset Police plea ahead of busy half term

Dorset Police plea ahead of busy half term

Tourists and a spike in demand expected as temperatures hit 20 degrees next week

Bauer Media Author: George Sharpe Published 30th May 2021

Dorset Police is launching a new summer-long campaign to help reduce demand on their 101 non-emergency number.

It comes as an influx of tourists are expected next week with temperatures hitting 20 degrees.

The new campaign – whichever way you choose to contact us, #ItsPersonal aims to educate visitors to the area about the different ways to contact the police and explain that every contact the Force receives about a policing issue is answered by a member of the team, whether it’s online or by phone.

The launch will coincide with the May bank holiday and the half term break, which often brings more people to Dorset. This increase in visitors leads to a rise in calls to our 101 non-emergency number, which can inevitably impact on waiting times.

By reassuring anyone who wants to make contact with the police, be that online or over the phone, that their query will be dealt with by a real person, it is hoped more people will choose to use the online contact options and there will be a reduction in the non-emergency call waiting times. If more people use our online contact methods, it leaves the phone lines free for those who might not have access to the internet to contact us.

Anyone wishing to contact us with non-emergency queries or reports can easily access our online options – Request a Call Back, Report Crime Online and Email 101.

Report Crime Online is an easy way to report information to us or report an incident or crime. Simply record all the details on the online form then submit the form via our website. Our contact centre staff will receive the form, record the crime, and provide you with a crime reference number.

If you want to make a general enquiry, tell us something, ask a question or report a suspicious incident (not happening now) then using the online enquiry form is an efficient way to make us aware of this information.

Use this online form to report anti-social behaviour, which is not happening now. This information allows us to build an intelligence picture of what is happening in your local area to help and support our communities.

Simply complete the details on the online form to Request a Call Back from Dorset Police the same day. Request a Call Back can be used to ask questions, report non-urgent crime and receive updates on existing crime.

Alternatively, our contact centre staff are available to answer your calls, day or night should you still wish to call the 101 non-emergency number.

Superintendent Jared Parkin from Dorset Police, Head of the Force Command Centre, said:

“Over the last few years we have been encouraging people to go online and this has been very successful with many people contacting us through our online reporting options.

“However, for many people they think going online to report a crime or incident will just be an automated process, but it is actually the same contact centre staff who manage and respond to our online contact options as answer our non-emergency telephone number. So, the service they receive is just as personal whether it be through our online contact option or by phone.

“We are expecting to see an increase in people contacting the police over the next week, as there will be more people visiting and staying in Dorset due to the public and school holiday and many deciding to stay in the UK for their holiday this year.

“We would therefore ask anyone needing to contact us, if it’s not an emergency, to use one of the online contact options – Report Crime Online, make a general enquiry or email us, report anti-social behaviour or request a call-back. By choosing to use one of these options your enquiry will be answered by a member of the team and you will be helping to keep the phone lines free for people without internet access.”

Remember, in an emergency, when life is threatened, people are injured, offenders are nearby or immediate action is required, always dial 999.