Commissioner's blog: AI helping people reach the right service faster

Recent weeks have seen the introduction of a new AI-assisted system across the country to help direct some non-police calls away from the 101 service and towards the organisations best placed to help.

At first glance, this might sound like a story about technology but, it is really a story about people. It is about helping members of the public get the right support from the right agency more quickly, while ensuring police officers and staff can focus on the issues that genuinely do require a policing response.

Every day, our contact centre and control room teams work tirelessly behind the scenes to keep people safe across Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. They are often the first point of contact for victims, witnesses and those experiencing some of the most difficult moments of their lives.

The scale of that demand is significant. During 2025, more than 470,000 calls entered Devon & Cornwall Police's 101 system. Alongside this, demand on our emergency services continues to grow. On a single day in June this year, the force received 1,305 calls to 999.

What is particularly striking is that only around 23 per cent of those calls resulted in emergency or priority police response. While many people contact the police because they are seeking genuine genuine help or advice, this demonstrates the challenge facing contact centre staff, who must quickly assess every call and ensure those in genuine need receive the right response.

Whilst many callers do require police assistance, thousands of enquiries are also redirected and resolved through existing processes before ever reaching a contact centre adviser. This helps staff prioritise those who require direct support and policing intervention.

This is not unique to Devon and Cornwall. Nationally, around 20 million calls are made to the 101 non-emergency service each year, with an estimated four million of those calls relating to matters that are better dealt with by other organisations, such as local authorities, health services or utility providers.

The new AI-assisted 101 system aims to address this challenge by helping identify why someone is calling and, where appropriate, directing them to the correct organisation before they join a queue for a police call handler.

Callers to 101 are now invited to briefly explain the reason for their call in their own words. The system then confirms it has understood the issue correctly before either directing the caller to the most appropriate organisation or routing them into the police service where a policing response is needed.

Where the matter does not require police involvement, callers are provided with information about the organisation best placed to help, with the option of receiving a relevant link by text message. If the issue is identified as a policing matter, callers continue through to the Force's existing call-handling process.

Unlike traditional telephone menus, which require callers to select from a list of options through dialling a specific number on the keypad, the new system is designed to understand natural language, creating a more intuitive experience. While it may add a few seconds at the start of a call, the aim is to help people reach the right service efficiently, first time and reduce unnecessary demand on police contact centres by filtering calls. 

Importantly, safeguards have been built into the process. Callers are asked to confirm the reason for their call and, where there is any uncertainty or indication that police support may be needed, the call will be passed directly through.

Innovation has real potential to improve the experience of those seeking help while making better use of valuable police resources. If contact centre staff spend less time dealing with matters that fall outside police responsibilities, they can spend more time supporting victims, safeguarding vulnerable people and ensuring urgent incidents receive the attention they deserve.

This is particularly important in Devon and Cornwall, there is a surge in demand during the spring and summer months. Our police officers, staff and volunteers work incredibly hard throughout the year, but particularly when our communities welcome millions of visitors alongside the people who live and work here every day.

While the new AI system is not a complete solution to the pressures facing policing, it is an example of how modern technology can support better services for the public. If it helps people get to the right organisation more quickly, reduces unnecessary delays and allows police staff to focus on those who need them most, then it is an initiative worth welcoming.