101, The single non-emergency number
Evaluation of the 5 pilot areas found that the 101 service had successfully improved public access to and satisfaction in the community safety services in all pilot areas. Through greater partnership working and better information from the public about what problems are happening where, the 101 service has helped local police and councils to target their resources more effectively and efficiently and improve the delivery of those services to the public. This presentation gives an overview of the benefits and lessons learned from the service to date. The 101 Programme Central Team have also produced a 101 Delivery Toolkit which provides full details of the evaluation and lessons learned from the service to date. It also gives guidance, example documentation and supporting material to help areas explore, implement and operate the 101 service locally. If you would like a copy of the toolkit please email your full postal address to adam.thompson4@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk and maria.sobers@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk.
Title: An introduction to 101
Author: Tom Samuel
Number of slides: 35
Date published: May 2008
Availability: Download full presentation 
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Frequently Asked Questions
I have heard that the government has dropped 101 - is this correct?
No. The government has not dropped 101, but is no longer offering grants to local operations. However, the 101 telephony infrastructure is available for local areas to use. Further, the Home Office and the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) recognise the benefits of single access locally and are supportive of local areas implementing the service.
I have heard that 101 is all about reducing inappropriate calls to 999, and that is focus is on police forces. Is there an incentive for local authorities to get involved?
Yes. 101 is about much more than reducing inappropriate calls to 999. 101 provided benefits of improving access, satisfaction and confidence in local services, as well as forming a catalyst for broader transformational savings and efficiencies.I have heard that to implement 101, calls handled in existing contact centres may in future be handled in other police or local authority centres. Can this really work?
Yes. Wave 1 areas have demonstrated that existing police and local authority centres can handle 101 calls on behalf of many local areas - provided advisors have the appropriate tools, information and training. Consolidating contact handling in this way will also prove more cost effective in the longer term.
Benefits
Better access to community safety services
101 has experienced rapid uptake. With ¾ million calls since the launch of 101 (now at levels of 15% of population calling annually), and 66% prompted and 39% unprompted public awareness in under a year, there is strong evidence for the power of using a 3-digit number. 101 already has higher levels of awareness than other national services such as NHS Direct.
101 increases levels of reporting. Issues of ASB and community safety are cited as priorities by the public, but have traditionally low levels of reporting. By improving access to these services, 101 has improved levels of reporting, with 8% of callers to the service saying they wouldn't have reported if 101 hadn't been available.
101 impacts the most deprived areas. Evidence to date shows that the 101 service is being used by the areas that need it the most; in deprived areas and where ASB is perceived to be very or fairly high.
101 introduces ‘access related' cost savings. 101 has reduced the need for citizens to make duplicate calls to multiple services, as well as seeing the public transition from more costly channels (eg face to face). Access related operational cost savings of approx. £1.59M per annum at existing national coverage level.
101 and major incident support. 101 supported access to services and the relief effort during the recent flooding South Yorkshire, with the ability to coordinate between police, local authority services and other agencies.
Better delivery of community safety services
Responsive and effective services through partnership working. Through setting service standards, and monitoring delivery against these standards, 101 is driving local improvement - identifying and addressing gaps in service provision. Management information and intelligence that 101 has brought the partnerships has been key to achieving this benefit. This has provided common ground to drive multi-agency working and response to community issues, where existing structures were ineffective.
Efficiencies in service delivery. Evidence that 101 has impacted on reduced police deployments, driven shared service initiatives, and driven smarter partnership working and tackling of crime and ASB. Approx. £2 million saving have been identified to date in Wave 1 partnerships.
101 in the community. 101 has been a key tool in engagement with communities, with a presence of key staff at local events and meetings.
Improved confidence in community safety services
- 101 increases satisfaction. The introduction of 101 has increased customer satisfaction significantly on baselines conducted on police and local authority services, from 74% to 84%. This has been achieved by:
- Providing much easier access to these services, with 24/7 access and multi-lingual support;
- A strong focus on customer experience;
- Focus on delivering on promises;
- Using intelligence to resolve issues in communities.
- 101 increases confidence. The evidence suggests that 101 is improving overall levels of confidence:
- evidence provides a strong link between satisfaction and confidence, with satisfied users twice as confident as dissatisfied (101 survey of public awareness, MORI, July 2007)
- 67% of users of 101 agree that 101 improves levels of confidence (non-users 59%)
- 101 impacts other perceptions towards government and communities. Awareness of 101 has a positive impact on perceptions and is encouraging positive attitudes towards local services, covering confidence, reassurance, and empowerment.
Reducing non-emergency calls to emergency lines
Too early to understand longer term impact on 999. Although there is evidence showing a shift of callers from 999, it is too early to understand longer term impact on overall 999 figures, and this benefit will take longer to fully realise, as awareness and coverage of the programme continues.
Peak support for 999. 101 has particularly been a useful tool to relieve pressure on 999 at key times, such as Halloween, ensuring that genuine emergencies are dealt with as a priority. 101 has also been used during the response to recent flooding in South Yorkshire.
Limited evidence that callers are shifting from 999. The assessment of the impact of 101 on 999 is balanced between customer survey and call volume data, with results that are broadly aligned:
Customer data. 80% of the public say that 101 would make them less likely to use 999 for certain incidents, with 15% of callers to 101 stating that they would have called 999, if the 101 service had been unavailable. This level of channel shift would equate to savings of approximately £445K per annum with existing national coverage levels.
Call volume data. There was a year on year reduction in non-emergency calls to 999 in Hampshire Constabulary after the introduction of 101, from 37% to 31%
Availabililty
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Last update: Friday, November 06, 2009