If you contact the police, it’s likely there’s a few questions running through your head about what happens next?
Whether you contact Police Scotland via 999, 101 or online, your contact goes to one of the national service centres. Each call is automatically directed to the next available service advisor. Where you call from in Scotland has no impact on how quickly your call is answered.
Every contact, whether through 999, 101 or online goes through an assessment process. After being assessed the police will then:
- Offer advice or guidance through the contact details provided.
- Schedule an in-person or telephone appointment.
- Progress it further for the use of police resources.
- Pass it to their Resolution Team for investigation and advice.
So Who Gets Priority When Calling the Police?
Good Question! As you can imagine the police get a lot of calls everyday. In fact Police Scotland receive, on average per day, over 2000 Emergency 999 calls and 4,000 Non-Emergency 101 calls.
Police Scotland will always prioritise 999 calls. This means you may be waiting a bit longer when calling 101, especially at busy hours of the day.
Find out more about how the police prioritise calls below.
Remember, if it is an emergency call 999
What if I Don’t Want The Police to Have My Information?
That’s okay! It’s not uncommon to be wary of getting involved when you call the police but you should always remember that it is important to report something before it’s too late. That’s why CrimeStoppers have Fearless, a dedicated youth service where you can give information about crime while remaining completely anonymous.
You can get in touch with them via phone or through their online form:
- 0800 555 111
- Give Information Anonymously Online
Do you have any more questions about contacting or reporting crime to the Police? Check our page with Police Scotland to find out more.