STOP THE 0845 MONEY MAKING NOW - IF YOUR POLICE AREA IS A MONEY MAKER - WEAK EXCUSES WILL BE MADE TO CONTINUE NOT TO CHANGE TO 0300 or 0345

Such as:

'It will cost too much to change" "The excess money made goes to charity" "The public will not remember a new number"

The largest Police Force in the UK has managed to change and they were not ripping people off in the first place (Metropolitan Police - London) 0300 123 1212

Complain to your Police Authority, Member of Parliament - they can only ignore people for so long. Yes the Home Office stand idly by, Gordon gleefully (no doubt) counts the extra Tax.

Download the ACPO Memo on this matter read the facts for yourself.
 

Neighbourhood Policing is more than a government programme. If the Police in the UK are serious about this, some need to stop ripping off callers with premium rate telephone charges.

All Police Forces in Wales now have the non emergency number of 101 - 10 pence a call from landline or mobile.

A number and system grabbed by Wales with foresight.

Some alternative telephone numbers are shown to avoid 0845

There is also a link to every Force Area, click on name.

STOP PRESS: BT have included 150 calls a month to 0845 and 0870 numbers on certain tariffs/times. No other landline provider has done so at this time.

...Visit www.mynhw.org.uk to comment about this and other matters...

Humberside Police deems remuneration on its 0845 Helpline “APPROPRIATE” - £45K PER ANNUM - Comment from SAYNOTO0870.COM

Citizens are calling a 0845 telephone number which attracts a premium on any local or national call in order to report crime and provide other information to Humberside Police.

A message on the Force's homepage declares it is an "appropriate" tariff but stops short of actually making clear that it does indeed benefit through higher payments to its telephone service provider from the caller. Bizarrely it says that no profit is made, which is somewhat superfluous for any public body.

Seven police forces have already adopted new 03-prefixed numbers which cost no more than a geographical call - a neutral charge as it were - and the SAYNOTO0870.COM campaign calls on all public services to either follow suit or openly declare that they require the subsidy provided by 084x/087x numbers for their operation.

he current subsidy provided by callers to the 0845 number is around £45k per annum. This is the figure given for the cost of receiving calls if the Force was to switch to a 03xx number. The technologies on 084x and 03xx numbers are the same, it's just a question of to what degree the caller provides subsidy.

Now is the time to implement a non-emergency number charged at geographical rate, as per the original brief. Others have made the switch and so too should Humberside Police.

In an Emergency dial 999 or 112 (European Wide)

50 percent of UK Police Forces operate on normal tariffs of 01, 02 and 03.

The other 50 percent on 0845 telephone numbers.

The basic price from a UK Mobile is 25 pence per minute

Vodafone   3   Orange   O2   T Mobile

Plus Other Operators. Orange pay monthly is 20 pence per minute.

These cost up to £2.50 pence a minute from T Mobile

T Mobile has the most confusing costing for 0845 numbers. From free to £2.50 pence a minute. Their 268 page price list for 08 numbers would require the carrying of a PDA at least to consult the price. Work on 40 pence per minute peak (5 pence off-peak)

Many will know that the Police are unlikely to come out and see you should you suffer or become a victim of crime. At least one Police Force wants you to allow up to 30 minutes to have that crime reported by phone. This would cost up to £7.50 pence on an average mobile phone. T Mobile, anyone's guess, £75? surely not.

If the UK wants Neighbourhood Policing, they should not be ripping off those who can ill  afford these calls.

0300 has been reserved for pubic organisations such as the Police.

Calling 0300 is a normal tariff alongside 01 - 02 - 03 and depending on your Tariff it is inclusive to call on fixed and mobile lines.

Calling a non emergency line normally means waiting in a queue - while many Banks and other Commercial organisations plan to rip you off.

Why should any Public Service be allowed to do this?*

*Unconcerned Government (Extra Stealth Tax).
 

Some UK Police Forces are changing back from their 0845 numbers.

This is of great credit to them. Changes will be published as soon as they are known about.

Comments can be emailed: 0300@neighbourhoodpolicing.org.uk

Those in    RED    are premium rate numbers and will cost
more from a fixed line or mobile.

The    BLACK    number is a reported alternative number.

   WHITE    are normal standard tariff 01, 02 or 03

In England & Wales there are 43 Police Forces.

Scotland have 8 and Northern Ireland 1  to see their non emergency numbers.

Click on any Police Force name to visit their website to confirm the current telephone position.