Go online, not online, to contact Cambridgeshire Police in non-emergency situations


Cambridgeshire Police have launched a campaign to encourage the public to use online services with the aim of reducing pressure on call takers.

Last year, the force’s request center received more than 250,000 non-urgent calls, many of which could have been resolved using online services.

In a week-long investigation, which examined the demand facing the force, 234 non-urgent calls were redirected to online services, which took call takers about two hours.

Cambridgeshire Police want people to use the online services rather than calling when it is not an emergency.

Inquiry Superintendent Michael Branston said: “A lot of our non-emergency calls could be resolved using the multitude of services available on our website.

“While I want to stress that we are always here to help, I urge the public to consider whether it should be ‘online or online’.”

As part of the campaign, the force will use social media to highlight the range of services available on its website, including live chat, forms for reporting crimes, intelligence and events, and information on various topics.

“With more ways than ever to contact the police, our phone lines are under constant pressure,” said Superintendent Branston.

“I appreciate that some do not have internet access or are not confident online, but to those who do, I would ask them to consider if they could ask their question online.

“I would also like to reassure the public that all of our online reports are treated in exactly the same way as 101 calls.”