1. 101 when to call
Please note: We experience a very high number of calls between 4pm – 8pm Monday - Friday. If you do not need immediate help please report online or call us outside of these hours.
When to call 101
You can call 101 to report a crime that has already happened, seek crime prevention advice or make us aware of any policing issues in your local area.
Using 101 for situations that do not require an immediate police response helps keep 999 available for when there is an emergency.
If you are in an emergency always dial 999.
If you are unsure whether to call us, please check our advice, services and Ask the Police's FAQ sections before you call.
Everyday our contact and control room receives over 900 calls, many of which do not concern the police. Below are the top non-police related calls we received last year, and the agency that you need to contact.
Please do not call us for:
- Noise nuisance
Noise nuisances are generally dealt with by local authorities, please check this page to see who will be able to help. If you want to report noise nuisance to your local council you can do so here.
- Lost dogs
You must report lost dogs, dog fouling, noisy dogs and stray dogs to your local council.
- Abandoned vehicle
Dumped cars and abandoned vehicles must be reported to your local council. If you believe the vehicle is stolen or causing a highway obstruction please call 101.
- Fly tipping & littering
Illegal dumping of waste should be reported to your local council. If the offence is being committed at the time of the call, contact the police.
- Road problems (traffic lights not working, roadworks, debris in the road)
Reporting faulty traffic lights depend on where you live and the type of road – you can find the appropriate authority here or report a road obstruction, such as debris here.
- Do you believe you have been mis-sold?
Please read Ask the Police's FAQ page to find out who to contact. For more information on reporting to Trading Standards click here.
- Litter/dog fouling
This will be dealt with by your local council.
- Fraud
Fraud should be reported to Action Fraud.
- Untaxed vehicles
Please note, tax discs are no longer needed – vehicle tax may still be up to date even if no tax disc is on show. The Department of Transport deals with untaxed vehicles and you can report one anonymously here.
- General advice
If you have a general question around police powers or policing responsibilities you can find answers very quickly through the national “ask the police” website.
The Norfolk Community Advice Network (NCAN) is a county based project aiming to provide access to free professional advice and information on topics such as:- consumer rights
- equality issues
- family matters
- discrimination
- social welfare
NCAN also offers advocacy and representation services for those living and working in Norfolk.
- General information on policing
If you have a general question around police powers or policing responsibilities you can find answers very quickly through the national “ask the police” website.
- Specific Questions
If you have a Norfolk specific policing question try accessing our online policy statements which are stored here.
- Email
If you still need to ask a question and the response is not time critical you can submit an email to: [email protected]. We aim to respond in 5 working days but our normal response is usually much quicker.
- Additional Contact Routes
- We have mini-com number for the hard of hearing 01953 424 200
- We also offer a text phone facility on 18001 101
- We do have a fax facility on 01953 424 299
- We have a text to email service for the public on 07786 200777
We take all calls seriously but have to make decisions about how we respond to them based on the information we are given and the resources we have available.
We will resolve your call by doing our best to provide:
- advice, guidance or a telephone investigation into the circumstances
- a diary appointment with an officer if the matter is routine
- a routine police attendance if a diary appointment is not the right choice for the circumstance
- assistance within the hour if the matter is deemed a priority
- attendance within 15 minutes in urban areas and 20 minutes in rural areas if the circumstances are an emergency.
Your call will initially be graded as below and this grading may change as we receive more information.
Grade A – Emergency – Immediate response
From the time of receiving the call we will do our best to attend within 15 minutes in urban areas and 20 minutes in rural areas.
This might include:
- If there is an immediate threat to life or serious injury to any person or there is the risk that this may happen.
- If there is a serious risk of harm or loss of property.
- A serious crime has just occurred or is imminently likely to occur.
- A person, due to their vulnerability, is at risk of serious/life threatening harm.
- A suspect is identified as being at scene or has just been disturbed and there is serious harm or risk in delaying the police response.
- A policy decision mandates an immediate response.
Grade B – Priority response
Our target is to respond as soon as possible and within 60 minutes from receiving the call.
This might include:
- If there is a threat or risk of harm to a person’s safety that requires either an urgent attendance or a priority appointment.
- If there is a threat or risk of harm to a person’s property that requires either an urgent attendance or a priority appointment.
- Whilst a person is currently deemed to be in a safe place, because of their vulnerability, an urgent attendance is required to help keep them safe.
- Investigative evidence could be lost if police do not prioritise an urgent attendance.
- A policy decision mandates the incident will be attended within a specific time period.
Grade C – Scheduled response
Depending on the circumstances of the incident, attendance is within usually within 24 hours, where an appointment is not suitable or available.
Diary Appointment – An agreed time and location.
This might include:
- There are identified investigative opportunities that require police attendance and that will not be lost by planning a diary appointment.
- There is evidence which is deemed to be safely stored but requires recovery or examination.
- The caller or witness is not at immediate risk but a face to face interaction is required, e.g. statement taking.
Information/Resolved.
This might include:
- The matter requires no further police involvement beyond noting and/or redirecting to another agency. Advice and engagement with the caller should still take place.
- The message contains operational information that may require action that falls short of deployment.
There is a statutory or other necessary reason to provide a record of the information given
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