UK government invests £1.4m in AI system for police calls

The UK government has invested £1.4 million in an AI-powered call-routing system designed to improve the efficiency of the national non-emergency 101 service. Developed by the Home Office and the National Police Chiefs’ Council with support from Vodafone Business, the software aims to reduce waiting times and minimize the number of misdirected, nuisance, or prank calls.

Currently, the 101 line receives approximately 20 million calls annually, with roughly 20 per cent being intended for non-policing agencies such as the NHS, local councils, or power outage helplines. The new system uses an AI model to identify the reason for a call and redirects non-police matters to the appropriate agency before a human handler is engaged. This process is expected to save policing up to £8.5 million each year.

Following successful pilots across 15 police forces, including South Yorkshire Police, the technology has demonstrated the ability to divert issues such as noise complaints and fly tipping. The Home Office stated that safeguards are in place to ensure that individuals requiring genuine police assistance are not accidentally diverted.