"More than 11,000 calls to 105 non-emergency number in first 12 days"

On Friday 15 May Commissioner of Police Mike Bush launched 105 (“ten five”), Police’s new number for reporting non-emergency situations.

12 days on he says people are embracing the new number.

“I’m very pleased to share that as of 10am this morning we’ve answered more than 11,577 calls to 105,” says Commissioner Bush.

“While it’s too early for us to accurately forecast demand, the new non-emergency service is certainly tracking well.”

Commissioner Bush acknowledges that historically Police has not always been an easy organisation to get hold of quickly in a non-emergency situation.

“With the 105 non-emergency number we’re hoping to build trust and confidence in Police by giving New Zealanders a simple, new way to report situations that don’t require an urgent or immediate response,” he says.

“So far people have reported a variety of non-emergency situations, such as an abandoned car with a broken window, their washing stolen off the line, or their laptop has been pinched.

The first 105 call that came through was to report a car parked across someone’s driveway.”

Early call back surveys show 89 per cent of callers were satisfied with the quality of service they received and 100 per cent would use the service again.

Another option Police has made available is online reporting for some specific non-emergency situations.

Commissioner Bush is urging people to use this online option when they can.

“Since we launched online reporting late last year, almost 13,000 non-emergency reports have been filed via the web portal,” he says.

“Encouragingly, almost 83 per cent of online users are satisfied or very satisfied with the quality of the reporting process.

“Currently people can report lost property, intentional property damage, shoplifting, general theft and theft from a car via 105.police.govt.nz.

We’re going to make regular updates and improvements to this online service, and there will be more non-emergencies options you can report soon.”

Police is yet to launch the full marketing campaign for 105, which will see the new jingle promoted on TV, radio, and other advertising channels across the country.

Further information about 105 and promotional material is available online at 105.police.govt.nz.

As part of the public education campaign, some of this material is available in other languages including Māori, Samoan, Tongan, Hindi, and Simplified Chinese.

ENDS

Note for editors:

• The 105 jingle video can be downloaded here: https://bit.ly/2YhYvjh

• 105 promotional material and further information can be found at: https://105.police.govt.nz

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