AI system introduced to redirect non-emergency police calls

A new AI-assisted system has been introduced to help direct non-police calls away from the 101 non-emergency service and toward more appropriate organizations, such as local authorities or health services.

In Devon and Cornwall, the 101 system received over 470,000 calls during 2025. The technology aims to assist contact center staff in prioritizing genuine policing needs. Data from June indicates that of 1,305 calls made to 999 by the force on a single day, only approximately 23 percent required an emergency or priority police response.

Nationally, an estimated four million of the 20 million annual calls to the 101 service relate to matters better handled by agencies other than the police.