Devon and Cornwall Police are offering alternative contact methods rather than calling 101 in their latest attempt to cut down on long delays.

The move comes as summer months see a huge increase in visitor numbers and the police typically see a 35% increase in calls compared to the quietest times of the year. 

People can now complete an online non-urgent crime report or use the ‘contact an officer’ facility, which will be dealt with in the same way as a call to 101, but can often be quicker and more convenient for busy people.  For other matters, an email to [email protected] is a convenient alternative option to calling 101.

Sandy Brooks, head of the police contact centre said: ’’We would ask people first whether it’s the police they actually need to contact – many calls we receive are about fly tipping, stray dogs, noisy neighbours or illegally parked cars.  These are all in fact areas the local council deal with.

’Around a quarter of calls to us are for information.  We would encourage people to click before they call and ask themselves whether they can find the answer on our website, searching for key words or by using the ‘Ask the Police’ facility, a useful resource that has answers to hundreds of commonly asked questions.’

The public are being asked to contact the police online for non-urgent matters whenever practical. 

Use dc.police.uk/clickB4Ucall