Hampshire Police ask us to report online to free up emergency line
The force say they're experiencing 'significant waits' to answer 101 calls
Last updated 6th Jul 2022
There's a plea from Hampshire Police to report non-urgent crimes and incidents online, to help ease the pressure on their control room staff.
Posts on their social media feeds suggest they've had 'significant waits' to answer calls to the 101 number.
That's so emergency 999 calls can take priority.
Inspector Matt Moss from the Hampshire control room, posted early yesterday morning (Tuesday 5th July) on the issue:
"The teams in our contact centres are doing their best to get to your calls as soon as possible, however at the moment there is a significant wait on 101 as we prioritise the 999 emergency calls. Don't forget you can report most things online via our website if they are not happening now.
"We know how frustrating it is when we don't answer as quickly as you would like - however once again I want to remind you that our staff are doing their level best to get to you as quickly as they can."
It's the second time this month already that the force has had to put out a similar warning to people trying to contact them by phone.
REPORT IT ONLINE
Hampshire Police is calling on us to report any incidents that aren't urgent via their website instead.
The force has sections to tell officers about crimes, missing person reports, civil disputes, lost or stolen vehicles, domestic abuse, road traffic incidents, antisocial behaviour, fraud and lost property.
There's further info on the Hampshire Constabulary website.