There is good reason for the PSNI to have adopted a non-geographic number. This is clearly a necessary feature of a system that provides operational and service benefits.

The option of a 03 number was not available in 2005, and so the justification in terms of cost to the mobile caller would have been difficult. It was clearly mishandled with the "local rate" nonsense.

There is no good reason why an appropriately phased transfer to 0345 600 8000, or a new 0300 number, could not have been underway for the last two years. Changing a number after such a short time would however have been politically difficult.

1. All documents, emails or faxes prepared internally or externally by or for Surrey Police that presented the original business case for ceasing the publication of longstanding existing local telephone numbers for each division and/or Police station within the Surrey Police area in or around the year 2003 and replacing them all with the single point of contact number for the general public (for all non emergency calls) of 0845 125 2222.  This documentation should include any documents which reveal comparisons of financial savings in the contract price to Surrey Police for the installation and maintenance of telecommunications equipment and telephone lines (including the cost of telephone line rental and outgoing telephone line cost) either directly in the Surrey Police Contact Centre and/or anywhere else within the whole of Surrey Police's operations flowing from the decision to switch to the new 0845 125 2222 contact centre number in comparison to what the same installation and ongoing maintenance price of that equipment and ongoing phone line rental and calls costs would have been had a single local geographic phone number (eg starting 01483) or even an 0800 number been used to provide the new contact centre service.  Whilst the applicant understands that Surrey Police does not receive a direct revenue share from its telecommunications provider from the additional revenue stream that the communication provider benefits from through the use of an 0845 number nonetheless the applicant believes that the use of an 0845 number enabled the communications provider running the services to offer a lower tender for the original equipment installation and ongoing subsequent maintenance than if a geographic number starting 01 or 02 had been used.  The applicant is particularly keen to see any of the original business case documents for the use of the number 0845 125 2222 that confirm whether such choices were part of the factors considered by senior officers at Surrey Police when agreeing to use an 0845 number for the new contact centre with a single contact number.  The applicant also requires to see copies of all tender documents for the new 0845 contact centre operation from rival telecoms providers to the one finally selected by Surrey Police, especially any tenders from alternative suppliers that proposed options involving the use of either a local 01/02 or an 0800 phone number instead of an 0845 number.

2. Copies of any internal or external documents, emails, faxes memos or notes of meetings that may reveal what financial penalties or increased ongoing line rental or maintenance costs would be incurred by Surrey Police if it were to follow the example set by a large number of other UK police forces by replacing its current contact centre number of 0845 125 2222 with one of 0345 125 2222 (this number will have already been reserved for it by its telecommunication service provider under Ofcom's provision for the issuing of numbers in the 0345 number range) so that callers to Surrey Police never pay more for the cost of making that call than if they were calling an ordinary geographic (eg one starting 01483) UK phone number.  This should include any documents which reveal whether the principle reason for a decision being taken to not replace the 0845 125 222 with 0345 125 2222 is because of budgetary considerations including the recent capping of the Surrey Police element of the Council Tax.  Copies of any formal quotations from Surrey Police's current telecoms supplier for changing its 0845 contact centre number to one commencing 03 should also be provided.

3. Copies of any internal or external documents, emails, faxes, memos or notes of meetings that reveal the level of complaints by members of the general public in Surrey about the Police force's use of 0845 numbers in respect of callers having incurred higher additional charges for calling these numbers than ordinary 01/02 numbers, especially the very large number of callers who undoubtedly have to call Surrey Police on 0845 125 2222 from their mobile telephones or from public or private payphones.  This should include any assessment of whether or not some calls to Surrey Police's Contact Centre on 0845 125 2222 have not been made at all either because the caller was deterred by the higher cost of making the call compared to calling an 01/02 number or simply because they did not have adequate available funds to make the call (eg from a BT Payphone where the per minute rate of calling an 0845 number is currently 1800% higher than calling a number starting 01, 02 or 03).