Call the cops: new non-emergency number racks up 50,000 calls

Photo / File

More than 53,000 people have utilised the new police non-emergency number since it was launched to relieve pressure on the 111 system.

The new 105 - ten five - number was launched on May 10 by Police Commissioner Mike Bush.

At the time Bush acknowledged that historically, police had not been an easy organisation to get hold of quickly in a non-emergency situation.

He hoped 105 would "build trust and confidence" in the organisation, by giving New Zealanders a simple, new way to report situations that don't require an urgent or immediate response.

The first call that came through to the service was a report of a car parked across someone's driveway.

As of Monday, 53,000 calls had been taken by 105 operators.

A police spokeswoman said the number was being "widely used" for a variety of non-emergency situations including thefts from public places and cars, intentional damage to property, shoplifting and lost property.

Of the calls being made, 14 per cent relate to matters previously reported to police.

A further 21 per cent are from people seeking advice from police.

"Since we've launched the marketing campaign and the 105 jingle, we're seeing daily increases in the number of people calling 105 to report non-emergencies, rather than other channels," the spokeswoman said.

One of those other channels is the option for people to report some specific non-emergency situations online.

The online reporting facility was launched late last year and each week since then, about 800 reports had been filed.

Bush urged people to use the online service where possible.

Since the 105 service was launched, police have been seeking feedback for users.

According to the spokeswoman, 90 per cent of callers were satisfied with the quality of the service and 94 per cent were likely to call 105 again if needed.

"67 per cent of people are aware that we have launched a new non-emergency number," she said.

DO YOU NEED HELP?

If you need police immediately in an emergency, call 111.

If you need to report a non-emergency matter or speak to police about a situation or crime that is not urgent or immediate, call 105.

You can also report some crimes online by visiting www.105.police.govt.nz