Force uses AI to cut wait times on 101 calls

South Yorkshire Police has launched a call handling system using AI software to triage calls to its non-emergency 101 number.

It is hoped the new service will cut waiting times for people trying to report crimes by weeding out misdirected, nuisance and prank calls.

The force received more than 470,000 calls to its 101 number over the year to June 2026, with wait times between eight and 15 seconds, according to official figures.

The system uses an AI model to match why someone is calling 101 to a set of likely reasons. It then redirects non-police issues to the correct agency before the caller enters a queue.

According to the Home Office, the police's non-emergency line receives 20m calls nationally each year and around four million (20%) of these are for non-policing organisations such as local councils, NHS 111 or the 105 power outage helpline.

However, the line also receives calls reporting "ridiculous" issues such as delayed pizza deliveries, slow pub service and requests for a lift, wasting police time which should be spent tackling crime.

At present, these calls are only identified after someone has spoken to a handler, wasting the caller's time and increasing wait times for people who genuinely need police assistance.

The government has invested £1.4m in the AI Natural Language Processing (NLP) software which had been trialled in 15 forces across the country before being brought into operation in South Yorkshire from 18 August.

The system has been developed by the Home Office, National Police Chiefs' Council and Vodafone, who said it has been tested to ensure it can understand regional accents.

Crime and policing minister, Sarah Jones, said: "Police call handlers are wasting hours fielding calls meant for other organisations. Every minute spent on these calls is time taken away from helping people who genuinely need their support.

"AI is already helping police catch dangerous criminals and speed up investigations. Now, it will help bring control rooms into the 21st century, freeing up time and unlocking millions of pounds.

"Forces can reinvest those savings into tackling the crime on our streets."

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