Frequently asked questions
- What is 101?
- What does 101 do?
- What does 101 NOT do?
- Who will I talk to?
- Where is the 101 service available?
- I have tried to ring 101 but I get silence or a number unobtainable tone
- I have tried to ring 101 but I get a message saying that I am out of area. I believe that I am in the area covered by 101
- I have reported a problem to 101 and wish to provide additional information or follow up my query but am now out of area, how can I contact the 101 centre?
- Will the service include Scotland and Northern Ireland?
- What will happen when I report a problem?
- How much will it cost to call 101?
- Why was 101 chosen as the number for the service?
- How will the 101 service deal with non-English speaking callers?
- Will the services be delivered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?
- Will calls to the 101 service be transferred to the emergency service if required?
- Who will provide the 101 service?
- Will the 101 service be available to people with impaired hearing?
What is 101?
101 is a confidential 24-hour number giving direct access to advice, information and action for community safety matters, including certain non-emergency crime, policing and anti-social behaviour.
What does 101 do?
The 101 service provides advice, information and action for the following issues:
- vandalism and graffiti;
- noise nuisance;
- threatening and abusive behaviour;
- abandoned vehicles;
- dumping and fly tipping;
- drunk and rowdy groups;
- drug related anti-social behaviour; and
- broken street lighting.
Will 101 replace 999?
The 101 service is just for certain non-emergency problems and does not replace the 999 emergency service.
You should call 999 if:
• violence is being used or threatened;
• there is danger to life;
• a crime is in progress or offenders carrying out a crime have recently been disturbed; or
• there has been a road accident where people are injured, or there has been a non-injury accident where traffic is affected.
101 works alongside 999 and advisers will direct callers to the emergency service for action if the call needs a 999 response.
The 101 service will complement rather than duplicate existing non-emergency services, and will improve the delivery of these services by providing a better coordinated and informed response by local agencies.
Who will I talk to?
You will speak with one of our highly trained 101 advisers, who will deal with enquiries, 24 hours a day, over the phone by giving advice and information where needed, arranging for action to be taken when appropriate or by directing the caller to a person or organisation who can help them.
Where is the 101 service available?
The 101 service is available in the following areas: Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Cardiff and Sheffield.
Why is the 101 service no longer available in Leicester City, Rutland, Melton and Harborough and Northumberland, Tyne and Wear?
Following the Home Office decision not to continue to directly fund the live 101 operations but to continue to provide the funding for the 101 telephony infrastructure the Leicester Partnership and Northumberland Partnership have taken the difficult decision not to continue with the 101 service due to funding pressures.
If you need to report issues relating to anti-social behaviour or community safety please go to the Leicester Partnership and Northumberland, Tyne and Wear pages on this website for alternative contact details.
I have tried to ring 101 but I get silence or a number unobtainable tone
It is possible that your telecom provider is not yet carrying the number, or that there is a technical error in the connection. We suggest that you contact your telecom provider so that they are aware of your difficultly. It is also possible to contact each 101 centre using a landline telephone number which are listed on the individual 101 areas pages. We continue to work with telecom providers to get the widest possible coverage of 101.
I have tried to ring 101 but I get a message saying that I am out of area. I believe that I am in the area covered by 101
Please check the 101 area maps on this web site. If you believe that you are still in area please contact us using the relevant landline telephone number for that area as listed on the individual 101 areas page.
I have reported a problem to 101 and wish to provide additional information or follow up my query but am now out of area, how can I contact the 101 centre?
Please use the direct landline number for the relevant 101 area that are listed on the individual 101 areas pages to contact the 101 centre.
Will the service include Scotland and Northern Ireland?
Scotland and Northern Ireland are developing their own systems but are aware of the programme and are considering their involvement.
What will happen when I report a problem?
When you report a problem that requires action by either the police or local council, the 101 adviser will take the details of the issue from you. They will give you a case number and tell you when you can expect action. The adviser will give the information you’ve provided to the appropriate service-delivery organisation, for example, the local council or Crime & Disorder Reduction Partnership, to action within the agreed time.
How much will it cost to call 101?
Calls to the 101 service will be charged at a fixed rate of 10p per call, whether from landlines or mobiles.
This decision was taken following consultation with a wide group of stakeholders and research with the public. The research showed that a small fixed charge would not put people off calling the service. It was the preference of our stakeholders and the professional advice of experts to charge 10p per call as this will reduce the likelihood of the service being abused.
The call charge will go to the telecom providers to offset the cost to them of carrying calls.
Why was 101 chosen as the number for the service?
101 was selected as the new three-digit number for the Single Non-Emergency Number service as it was the most memorable number of those available to use for the service and it was easy for people with impaired vision to dial. This was chosen following an Ofcom public consultation and research with stakeholders and the public. Ofcom officially confirmed 101 as the new three digit number on 8 March 2006.
How will the 101 service deal with non-English speaking callers?
The service will have multi-lingual provision through translation services such as Language Line.
Will the services be delivered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?
While access to 101 advisers will be 24/7, some services are not currently delivered around the clock – for example, local council clean up of graffiti. Callers will be informed of what level of service to expect in response to their call.
Partnerships will be able to use the information provided by calls to 101 to change services and improve performance.
Callers will be advised of the level of service to expect in response to their call. Police and local councils are using the information provided by calls to 101 to change services and improve performance.
Will calls to the 101 service be transferred to the emergency service if required?
Yes. The 101 advisers will be able to direct calls to the 999 emergency service using existing protocols for the escalation of calls to 999.
Who will provide the 101 service?
The central telephony infrastructure is supported by The Home Office and the local service operation and delivery is provided by the local police and local authority partnership.
The call handling may be dealt with by police or local authority staff. Each local partnership has agreed the best approach for their area to ensure that service delivery is effective to achieve a seamless response.
Is the 101 service available to people with speech or hearing impairments?
Yes. You can now access the 101 service by using the Text Direct/TypeTalk service: 18001 101. You can find out if you are in a 101 area by checking the Partnership maps on this website.