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Police introduce charges for non-emergency calls (Read 403,449 times)

Dave

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Re: Police introduce charges for non-emergency cal
Reply #75 - Feb 2^nd, 2008 at 11:58am

Source: Tayside & Fife Courier

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/output/2008/02/02/newsstory10883727t0.asp

<<

Cost of calls to police may soar

MOBILE PHONE users will have to pay more to call Tayside Police’s new non-emergency phone line when it is introduced and it could cost as much as 40p per minute.

The force announced on Thursday it plans to introduce a single number for all non-emergency calls.

All police forces in Scotland are introducing the new lines to try to stop the 999 number being bombarded with calls that are not emergencies.

However, several police forces in England that already have 0845 non-emergency numbers in place are considering replacing those lines with numbers starting with 03 because they are cheaper when called from a mobile phone.

Although 0845 numbers are charged at a local rate and cost around 3p a minute from a landline, mobile phone charges can vary. All callers pay the same flat rate when dialling an 03 number.

Campaigner Dave Lindsay has written to every police force in the UK warning them that the potentially high cost of the phone calls could put people off calling the police.

After Tayside’s plans were revealed, he also Emailed several MSPs with his concerns.

Chief Inspector Sandra Richard head of Tayside Police communication centre, said the 0845 number had been agreed before the 03 numbers existed.

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Dave

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Re: Police introduce charges for non-emergency cal
Reply #76 - Feb 4^th, 2008 at 7:51pm

Source: Norwich Evening News

http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/content/news/story.aspx?itemid=NOED02%20Feb%20200...

<<

It costs too much to call police - claim

MICHAEL BAILEY
04 February 2008 07:00

Norfolk police have come under pressure to change from expensive 0845 contact phone numbers to ensure people are not put off reporting crimes.

The force's 0845 456 4567 non-emergency number was brought in ensure a one-stop contact was available for people to report crime or get in touch with their local police station.

Despite the numbers being priced at a similar rate to local calls when they were first introduced in May 2005, a call to an 0845 number can now cost up to 40p per minute from a mobile phone, which is more than 10 times the rate of a call to a standard number from a BT payphone.

The constabulary receives part of the profits from the amount of calls made to the number, usually around £2,000 every year, and despite the fact the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) has suggested alternatives, Norfolk's force are not planning any changes.

A Norfolk police spokesman said: “There is no intention to change the 0845 number at this time but we will keep it under review.

“Since the introduction of the number, usage has grown, which we believe supports one of our intended aims; namely to make contacting us easier.

“People living in and visiting Norfolk have one simple number to remember and the misuse of the 999 emergency number has fallen.”

The policy does vary across East Anglia's other forces, with Essex and Suffolk using standard local numbers beginning 01 for non-emergency calls, while Cambridgeshire has a similar 0845 number to Norfolk.

The government's Central Office for Information has issued guidelines advising public sector bodies to issue an alternative local number when using 08 numbers, while the ACPO has suggested forces could switch to numbers prefixed 03, which were created for bodies such as the police service.

Calls to these numbers are charged as a normal 01 call, whether it is made from a mobile or a landline, and would be included in the caller's allowance of free minutes.

But without the availability of a cheaper alternative, those reporting crime are being forced to use expensive numbers, which are often not included in the packages of free minutes issued by mobile and landline phone companies.

Norman Lamb, Liberal Democrat shadow health secretary and North Norfolk MP, said: “It is a legitimate concern and I have taken the matter up with the police authority.

“It is one thing for a public company to charge these amounts but for public services, it almost becomes a tax on those using these services.

“If the cost from using a mobile is prohibitive then we ought to have numbers which do provide an incentive to use the service.

“GP surgeries in some parts of the country are starting to use 0845 numbers as well, so you are paying extra to call your GP, which again is a concern.”

Norfolk police received 168,822 calls on their 0845 contact number between June and October last year.

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Dave

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Re: Police introduce charges for non-emergency cal
Reply #77 - Feb 5^th, 2008 at 1:33pm

Source: Redhill & Reigate Life

http://www.redhillandreigatelife.co.uk/display.var.2007798.0.0.php

<<

Cheaper to phone the police

NON-EMERGENCY police calls could become cheaper for residents.

Surrey Police are considering changing their non-geographical 0845-prefixed number, which costs up to 40p a minute from a mobile phone and 4p a minute on a BT landline during the day.

A spokesman said: "While at one time 0845 was charged at local rate, the differential between it and local geographical calls has drifted steadily upwards. Today, packages are available where all geographical calls are included but this does not apply to 0845 numbers.

"Those who are likely to require contact with the police the most are those who can ill afford expensive telephone calls."

The 0845 number was introduced by the force in 2003, directing callers to a centralised call centre instead of individual police stations. These numbers can be used to generate revenue for the companies using them, who receive a percentage of call charges.

Stuart Lowe, the call centre operations manager, said it has never used this option and does not profit from the number.

The Association of Chief Police Officers is advising forces to change their numbers to 0345 numbers, which communications regulator Ofcom says costs no more than a UK call.

Surrey Police is considering this option as well as reverting to a local 01483 number, routed through the call centre. Mr Lowe said the cost of promoting a new number to residents had to be considered.

9:52am Thursday 31st January 2008

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Dave

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Re: Police introduce charges for non-emergency cal
Reply #78 - Feb 7^th, 2008 at 3:15pm

Source: Salisbury Journal
Published: Thursday 7 February 2008

http://www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/business/business/display.var.2025909.0.police...

<<

Police facing flak over service quality
By Katharine Lawley

THE business community of Salisbury and south Wiltshire is less than satisfied with the service it gets from its police force, a meeting at the city's White Hart Hotel heard last week.

The meeting, organised by Salisbury & District Chamber of Commerce and Industry, heard pleas for more officers on patrol to prevent criminals stealing and damaging property at will.

There were also difficulties in contacting the police via its 0845 number.

Lance Foord, of Salisbury business Nu Clean, said it was ridiculous to have a number which nobody could remember, and city centre manager Lindsey Brown said the number could ring for 20 minutes before it was answered.

[…]

>>

« Last Edit: Feb 7^th, 2008 at 3:20pm by Dave »

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EllisRowell

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Re: Police introduce charges for non-emergency cal
Reply #79 - Feb 7^th, 2008 at 6:27pm

"The Association of Chief Police Officers is advising forces to change their numbers to 0345 numbers, which communications regulator Ofcom says costs no more than a UK call."

I beg to differ, I doubt if this number range will be included in the ranges which are available for free with many contracts. My friend has the Tiscali Anytime contract whilst I use a Swiss Company which charges 5p per connection for any duration of call. I have Tiscali Evenings and Weekends contract for free geographical calls.

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jgxenite Supreme Member Offline Help us to help you - read the instructions!! Posts: 1,454 Gender:	Re: Police introduce charges for non-emergency cal Reply #80 - Feb 7^th, 2008 at 6:31pm On my O2 mobile contract, 03 numbers are included with inclusive 01/02 calls. They should be like that for all packages (although a few companies have been a tad slow in the uptake...)
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Heinz

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Re: Police introduce charges for non-emergency cal
Reply #81 - Feb 7^th, 2008 at 8:35pm

EllisRowell wrote on Feb 7^th, 2008 at 6:27pm:

I beg to differ, I doubt if this number range will be included in the ranges which are available for free with many contracts. My friend has the Tiscali Anytime contract whilst I use a Swiss Company which charges 5p per connection for any duration of call. I have Tiscali Evenings and Weekends contract for free geographical calls.

If Tiscali aren't carrying 03 calls at the same rates as they do 01 and 02 calls, they should be reported to Ofcom.

My CPS calls provider, Primus, has confirmed 03 calls are included in the 'free evening and weekend calls' I get on Primus Saver Option 2 and are carried at the same price as 01 and 02 calls at other times too.

18185 (probably the Swiss company you mention), carry 03 calls at the same rate as 01 and 02 calls as well - 5p connection for a call of any duration - so they conform with Ofcom rules.

After years of ignoring govt. guidelines & RIPPING OFF Council Tax payers using 0845 numbers, Essex County Council changed to 0345 numbers on 2 November 2015

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Dave

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Re: Police introduce charges for non-emergency cal
Reply #82 - Feb 9^th, 2008 at 3:18pm

Cheshire Constabulary receives revenue from its provider, Opal Telecom, but will not disclose the amount. I refer to this FOI response:

http://www.cheshire.police.uk/showcontent.php?pageid=631

Quote:

What revenue does Cheshire Constabulary receive as a result of the use of 0845 numbers?
This information is commercially sensitive and is covered by an exemption in accordance with Section 43 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. In deciding whether or not to apply this exemption a public interest test has been carried out. It has therefore been decided that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information. The factors which were taken into consideration when applying this public interest test can be found below:

Factors favouring disclosure:

• Transparency and openness in public decision-making
• Financial probity

Factors favouring non-disclosure:

• Exemption provision - Section 43
• Breach the commercial interests of a third party contractor

This amounts to a charge from the citizen to the police. It is therefore an income which should surely be disclosed, whether it is paid directly from caller to receiver or via the telephone companies - a third party.

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moneysavin

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Northumberland Police breach of EU Rules re 0845
Reply #83 - Feb 12^th, 2008 at 12:48am

http://www.morpethherald.co.uk/news/Heated-debate-on-hotline-costs.3752510.jp

"POLICE have come under fire for the cost of calls to a crime hotline.
North East MEP Stephen Hughes has spoken out at the 0845 number used by the Northumbria Force, which could see callers pay around 4p per minute.

And he says the Police rate is just the tip of the iceberg, with the NHS, Nexus Traveline and the Learning and Skills Council all using similar numbers.

European Commission law states that such call charges should be transparent, but Mr Hughes says often people do not know the costs.

Now he has written to watchdog Ofcom about his concerns.

"Too many public and private institutions are using these premium rate phone lines when providing vital information required by the public," he said.

"Many times people don't even know they are being charged these rates on top of what it normally costs them to make a regular call.

"European law does not ban the use of the numbers, but it does say that people should know what such calls cost them. The fact the people don't know the costs means that the Directive is not being complied with.

"For this reason, I have written to Ofcom to ask that it takes action to make these charges more transparent so people can make an informed choice as to whether they make a call or not.

"I think it is scandalous that the Police are using an 0845 number for people to report crimes."

Mr Hughes has secured the backing of European Commissioner Vivian Reding on the issue and may seek prosecution if his concerns are not addressed.

"On the Commissioner's advice I have written to Ed Richards, Chief Executive of Ofcom, to ask whether he believes the transparency requirements of the Directive are being met.

"Depending on his reply, I may be asking the European Commission to launch legal action relating to non-compliance with EC law," he said.Charges for 0845 numbers could reach 4p per minute, calls to 0844 lines are charged up to 5p per minute and 0871 numbers cost up to 10p per minute.

However, Northumbria Police insist the 0845 number is not a premium rate line and the Force does not receive any income from its use.

Officials say charges will vary from between 1p per minute to 3.9p, depending on the phone package supplier, and it often works out cheaper than people calling across telephone codes on the Force's old numbers, such as a person in the 01661 area code dialling an 0191 number.

Supt Derek Scott said: "The 0845 non-emergency number was introduced last year to work alongside 999 and was chosen after consultation with internal and external stakeholders, with the intention of providing an easy number to remember.

"It has also allowed us to handle larger call volumes, improving our capacity to deal with calls when compared with the previous contact numbers and improving resilience at times of peak demand.

"We continuously review our systems and procedures and the use of the 0845 non-emergency number is no exception. If improvements can be identified, we will be examining the options available."

The full article contains 525 words and appears in Morpeth Herald newspaper.Last Updated: 08 February 2008 4:45 PM"

« Last Edit: Feb 12^th, 2008 at 12:53am by moneysavin »

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Dave

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Re: Police introduce charges for non-emergency cal
Reply #84 - Feb 22^nd, 2008 at 9:19pm

Bromsgrove District Council
Meeting of Wednesday 16 January at 18:00

http://bromsgrove.whub.org.uk/home/bdc-meetings-agendas-council-16012008.pdf

Quote:

11 Motion - Calls to report Crime

To consider the following motion submitted by Councillor S. P. Shannon:-

“Bromsgrove Council calls upon West Mercia Police Authority to remove all 08457 numbers for public contact use, and replace them with 03 numbers. Ofcom has introduced these 03 numbers as an alternative to 08 numbers and, needless to say, they are cheaper, reducing the cost of reporting crimes.”

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Heinz

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Re: Northumberland Police breach of EU Rules re 08
Reply #85 - Feb 23^rd, 2008 at 11:48am

moneysavin wrote on Feb 12^th, 2008 at 12:48am:

http://www.morpethherald.co.uk/news/Heated-debate-on-hotline-costs.3752510.jpHow..., Northumbria Police insist the 0845 number is not a premium rate line and the Force does not receive any income from its use.

Officials say charges will vary from between 1p per minute to 3.9p, depending on the phone package supplier, and it often works out cheaper than people calling across telephone codes on the Force's old numbers, such as a person in the 01661 area code dialling an 0191 number.

What Century are these people living in?

After years of ignoring govt. guidelines & RIPPING OFF Council Tax payers using 0845 numbers, Essex County Council changed to 0345 numbers on 2 November 2015

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Dave

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Re: Police introduce charges for non-emergency cal
Reply #86 - Feb 25^th, 2008 at 8:40am

Source: This is Cheshire (Newsquest)

http://www.thisischeshire.co.uk/news/latestnews/display.var.2065220.0.police_may...

<<

Police may cut call costs
By Neil Docking

CHESHIRE Police may reduce the charges residents pay to contact them by telephone.

The non-emergency telephone number it provides is currently prefixed 0845 - a non-geographical number that costs up to 40p a minute from a mobile phone and 4p a minute on a BT landline during the day.

In the past, 0845 calls were charged at local rate, but the price of geographical calls has fallen.

However, the price of 0845 calls has remained roughly the same and Cheshire Police is also paid revenue from the use of its 0845 number by its provider, Opal Telecom, a part of Carphone Warehouse Group.

Cheshire Police will not disclose how much money it makes from these calls.

On its website it says: "This information is commercially sensitive and is covered by an exemption in accordance with Section 43 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000."

The statement goes on to say that a public interest test was carried out when making this decision.

The Association of Chief Police Officers is advising forces to change their numbers to 0345 numbers, which communications regulator Ofcom say cost no more than a normal UK call.

An alternative could be reverting to a local 01925 number, routed through Cheshire Police's call centre.

A spokesman for Cheshire Police said it is considering the issue.

>>

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Dave

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Re: Police introduce charges for non-emergency cal
Reply #87 - Feb 26^th, 2008 at 4:12pm

Source: Larne Times
Published Date: 07 February 2008

http://www.larnetimes.co.uk/pagelead/Make-sure-you-ring-the.3748695.jp

<<

Make sure you ring the right number

LARNE police are reminding the public to use the single non-emergency phone number 0845 600 8000 when contacting them.
Superintendent Alasdair Robinson said, “Following the introduction of a new centralised call handling system in the North East, it is important that people make full use of the non emergency number as this will help us to further improve the quality of service we provide to the public.

“The non emergency number, 0845 600 8000, which was introduced in 2005, will connect the caller directly to local police who will then put them in touch with the appropriate station or individual in the Police Service. It doesn’t matter whether you are in Castlerock, Carnlough, Connor, Cushendall, or anywhere else in the North East, if you need to contact the police - 0845 600 8000 - is the only number you need to remember.”

“It is however important to stress that the 0845 600 8000 number is a non-emergency facility. If the call relates to an emergency, people should always dial ‘999’. An emergency is a situation where there is a danger to life, an immediate threat of violence or a serious crime in progress.”

Using the non emergency 0845 600 8000 number will provide a number of benefits to everyone who lives, works or socialises in H District:

· One number for everywhere in H District and across Northern Ireland;

· Low cost calls charged at local rates;

· Easy to remember;

· Can be saved on a mobile for use anywhere in Northern Ireland.

“Should local call handlers be busy, the enhanced technology will find someone else within the Service who is qualified to answer the call. This upgraded service will help us provide an improved and more efficient service whilst reducing misplaced non-emergency and 999 calls,” concluded Superintendent Robinson.

Calls to 0845 600 8000 will be charged at local rates but mobile network charges may vary. Calls to 0845 600 8000 from mobile phones will be answered centrally within the Police Service of Northern Ireland and directed to the appropriate person.

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Dave

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Re: Police introduce charges for non-emergency cal
Reply #88 - Mar 4^th, 2008 at 1:01pm

As has already been mentioned on here, Audit Scotland carried out a Police Call Management Initial review. The convenor of the Audit Committee, Hugh Henry MSP, wrote to the Director General of Justice & Communities, Robert Gordon. The letter is here. Mr Gordon's response is here.

On 6 February the Audit Committee met. Mr Gordon was present and a transcript of that meeting is here.

In short, Mr Gordon didn't have many answers. The discussion covered call management in general, and the 0845 numbers are just one part. He said that they will "engage with forces" through the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS).

Linda Rosborough gave the impression that she believed that the 0845 number was not disadvantageous from landlines (apart from inclusive packages) and that the main issue was with landlines. More details about her role here.

Tayside Police is due to change to 0845 next month. George Foulkes MSP mentioned that forces south of the border are looking towards 03. So will the Scotland be left behind?

« Last Edit: Mar 4^th, 2008 at 1:02pm by Dave »

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Heinz

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Essex Police 0300 333 4444 non-emergency number
Reply #89 - Mar 4^th, 2008 at 3:06pm

Perhaps shoving the following down Mr. Gordon's throat is the only way:

0300 333 4444

03003334444 0300 3334444 0300 333 44 44

That's the way to do it!

http://www.gazette-news.co.uk/display.var.2092003.0.police_launch_new_nonemergen...

Now will the rest of the police forces, government departments, the NHS, GPs, Councils and quangos get the message?

Barbara, please note Essex Police's telephone system and Essex County Council's are linked - so, for some time, it has been possible for a call to an Essex Police geographical number to be transferred to an ECC extension (if you know the ECC extension number). Whether this will be the case with 0300 333 4444, I don't yet know.

« Last Edit: Mar 4^th, 2008 at 6:46pm by Heinz »

After years of ignoring govt. guidelines & RIPPING OFF Council Tax payers using 0845 numbers, Essex County Council changed to 0345 numbers on 2 November 2015

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