101 - Police non-emergency number

101 is the number to call when you want to contact your local police – when it’s less urgent than 999.

101 is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When a member of the public calls 101, they are connected to their local police force.

The Home Office, along with the Association of Chief Police Officers, has worked with all police forces in England and Wales to implement the 101 number across the country.

Watch the 101 videos

Watch this video from policing minister Nick Herbert's visit to a 101 contact centre, which explains the importance of using 101.

You can also watch the video about the types of crimes and concerns where 101 should be used.

What you can report using 101

Call 101 to contact the police to report less urgent crime and disorder, or to speak to your local officers. For example, call 101:

• if your car has been stolen
• if your property has been damaged
• if you suspect drug use or dealing in your local area
• to report a minor traffic accident
• to give the police information about crime in your area
• to speak to the police about a general inquiry

The importance of 101

 101 will:

• help communities to keep their neighbourhoods safe by giving them one easy way to contact their local police and to report non-emergency crime and disorder
• make the police more accessible to their communities, while reducing pressure on the 999 system and helping the police to allocate their resources where they are needed most
• assist the police to cut crime by making it easier for the public to pass on information about crimes in their neighbourhoods - allowing the police to take swift action
• enable local partners to join up with the police to provide communities with even easier access to a wider range of local services

Calls to 101 (from both landlines and mobiles) cost 15 pence per call no matter what time of day you call, or how long you are on the phone.

More information on the 101 number and how it works can be found at www.police.uk/101.

Communicating 101

As each force adopts 101, they will be informing the public in their area. To support police forces with their communications, we have published a range of resources, which includes the toolkit 'Launching the 101 non-emergency number', posters, flyers and leaflets.