Department says that new artificial intelligence system could save up to £8.5m a year and cut waiting times for callers who dial the police’s 101 line for the right reasons
The Home Office and police forces are set to roll out a new artificial intelligence-powered call-routing system for the 101 phone line for reporting non-emergency incidents.
According to the department, the new triage system – which has been developed in conjunction with Vodafone Business and the National Police Chiefs’ Council – could generate savings of up to £8.5m a year and shorten waiting times for callers.
The Home Office said the 101 non-emergency line receives 20 million calls a year, but around one in five of those calls should be made to other organisations – such as the NHS or the Energy Networks Association’s national power outage line.
The new system uses an AI model to match 101 calls to a set of likely reasons, then redirects non-police issues to the correct agency before the caller enters a queue. Under the present system, such calls are only identified once a caller has reached a handler – wasting their time and the time of people queuing who really do need police assistance.
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The Home Office said the new system had been subjected to “rigorous training and testing”, with pilots conducted in 15 police areas. The department said there are “strong safeguards” in place to make sure that no-one in need of police assistance is ever “accidentally diverted”.
Callers are told how the system has understood their reason for calling and are given the opportunity to accept or reject the analysis. Further safeguarding questions are asked if a caller’s reason for dialling 101 falls into a “broad category”.
The Home Office said callers will always be able to speak to a call handler if they want and that, if the system is in any doubt about a caller’s reasons for dialing, they will be passed directly to the police.
Crime and policing minister Sarah Jones said the £1.4m investment being made in the new routing system would get the public to the right organisation faster and free up call handlers to respond to crime reports, safeguarding concerns and victims more quickly.
“Police call handlers are wasting hours fielding calls meant for other organisations,” she said. “Every minute spent on these calls is time taken away from helping people who genuinely need their support. AI is already helping police catch dangerous criminals and speed up investigations. Now, it will help bring control rooms into the 21st century, freeing up time and unlocking millions of pounds. Forces can reinvest those savings into tackling the crime on our streets.”
Al Murray, interim director at PoliceAI, said the new triage system was “a powerful example of how technology can improve the public’s experience, strengthen support for victims and make better use of valuable police time”.
More broadly, the government is investing £16.5m to modernise how the police and public interact as part of reforms set out by home secretary Shabana Mahmood earlier this year.
In addition to the new 101 triage system, other projects include AI that transcribes 999 and 101 calls, and links crime reports to identify patterns in demand.
Permanent director sought for PoliceAI
The College of Policing is currently recruiting to find a permanent director for PoliceAI, the new national centre for scaling up the use of artificial intelligence for policing in England and Wales. Creating the organisation was one of a range of measures set out in January’s *From Local to National: A New Model for Policing *white paper. Ministers have allocated £75m for the launch of the centre over the next three years.
PoliceAI will be part of the College of Policing, which is offering a salary of up to £174,000 a year for the new director – plus a potential London allowance of £5,038 if the successful applicant is based within the M25.
According to the college’s advertisement, the director of PoliceAI will “play a critical role in shaping how policing embraces emerging technology, balancing innovation with accountability, and ensuring that public confidence remains at the heart of delivery”.
The advert says the director role is both “strategic and delivery-focused”, with the successful applicant leading on the creation and development of a new, high-profile national capability, setting direction, establishing operating models, and seeing a new organisation from inception to maturity.
“This role will require an exceptional leader with strong credibility, sound judgement and strategic vision,” the advert states. “You will bring intellectual curiosity, a clear commitment to public service, and the ability to communicate complex issues with clarity and authority to both specialist and non-specialist audiences.”
Requirements for the successful candidate include “deep understanding of AI, digital transformation or advanced technology ecosystems”, which can have been gained through senior roles in policing, government, industry research and design, or other sectors.
The college also stipulates a “sophisticated appreciation of ethical, legal, societal and operational implications of AI deployment in public service”, including human rights, public trust, regulatory frameworks, and risk governance.
Another must-have is a “strong knowledge” of complex system leadership, national governance frameworks, cross-government structures, and multi-agency delivery models.
The Senior Civil Service Pay Band 2 role will be a fixed-term contract for three years. It is considered suitable for remote working and can be based anywhere in the UK. The job is open to applications until 11.55pm on August 23.