Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to abolish the 15 pence charge for 101 calls to the emergency services.

The Home Office is reviewing charges for the 101 non-emergency telephone number.

While it may not be an option for everyone, the public can also report non-emergency crimes online via forces’ websites, free of charge.

The Home Office is supporting the digital transformation of policing through programmes such as the Digital Policing Portfolio (DPP), led by the NPCC. Within the DPP, the Digital Public Contact programme aims to provide appropriate digital channels for the public to report and track crime online, facilitating greater public-police interaction in real time.