CALLS for a Scotland-wide non-emergency number to ease pressure on the 999 system are set to be rejected by the Scottish Government.
Ministers believe a 101 hotline piloted south of the Border represents "a very limited solution" and instead propose a marketing campaign to remind people how to contact their local police.
The Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACP
OS) had backed the idea of a 101 hotline after figures showed up to half the 5.8 million 999 calls received by Scotland's police forces each year were not related to emergencies.
And Edinburgh West MSP Margaret Smith, the Liberal Democrat justice spokeswoman, was among politicians supporting the move.
But in a letter to the Scottish Parliament's audit committee, senior civil servant Robert Gordon made it clear that ministers are not convinced. He said a single national non-emergency number "has attractions" but would need to link into not only Scotland's eight police forces but the 32 Scottish local authorities, ambulance and fire services, British Transport Police and others.
And, he added, telecoms regulator Ofcom had said a three-digit number could be made available only on a UK-wide basis.
Mr Gordon said the existing 101 number, intended for reporting antisocial behaviour, could be expanded into a "genuine non-emergency number" across the UK. But he said the pilot in England and Wales had not led to a reduction in 999 calls.
The cost of introducing a 101 number across Scotland has been estimated at around £9m.
Mr Gordon said: "Overall, ministers consider that the 101 number is a very limited solution and while they welcome ACPOS' work to explore its potential, the evidence at this stage suggests that, as it stands, the 101 number is unlikely to deliver benefits across the country which would justify that substantial investment."
He said using 03 or 0800 numbers would mean extra costs for the police. And he added: "Many forces have already carried out extensive work in marketing their 0845 numbers and consider there is a strong risk that another change would confuse the public in those areas."
Mr Gordon concluded that many of the concerns could be met if the public were more aware of the correct number to call. He said only three forces – Fife, Strathclyde and Northern – had employed a marketing strategy for their new contact centres.
He said: "Ministers consider that further and more effective marketing work could be usefully undertaken to make the public more aware of the numbers to be called in non-emergency situations."
Commenting on the news that the idea looks set to be scrapped, Edinburgh West MSP Margaret Smith said: "I'm very disappointed by that and I would be interested to see the evidence on which they're basing that decision.
"This was something that the police forces had welcomed as a possibility. I don't think people are absolutely sure on how to contact the police if it's not an emergency. The one number they do know is 999 but they probably don't know how to get in touch with their local police station."
The full article contains 525 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
