The Police Service of Northern Ireland is encouraging the public to use its online reporting service which allows an incident or crime to be reported at anytime, anywhere, straightaway and without delay.
Almost 27,204 reports were made online to the Police Service from 1st January 2023 to 1st January 2024, while close to 499,642 ‘101’ calls were made during the same time.
Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said:
“So many of us use technology to do our daily business. Everyone wants to be able to do what they need to do at a time that suits them, and is quick and easy. We want to make sure people can contact us when they need us, and that we are here to help and respond to them as soon as possible, no matter where they are.
"Online reporting means there’s no waiting in a ‘101’ queue and people get an incident reference number straightaway. It’s a simple, quick and easy process, and we’re hoping for more people, online reporting will be the option they use rather than dial 101.”
When making a report online via the Police Service of Northern Ireland website using a mobile phone, tablet, laptop or computer, a person is taken through a series of steps. Initially, they’re asked to determine if it’s an emergency.
“We don’t want people to report emergencies online. They should call ‘999’ in the normal way, and police officers will respond,” says ACC Henderson.
“You will be guided through a step-by-step prompt for the type of incident you wish to report. For example, you can report a damage-only road traffic collision online and get an incident reference number immediately.”
Online reports are considered in live time, in the exact same way as a ‘101’ call. Each report is triaged by a professionally trained call handler from a Contact Management Centre (CMC), just as 101 calls are.
There is no waiting in a ‘101’ queue, and people can make a report at a time that suits them, all in a matter of minutes. The reports are received by CMC staff as soon as possible allowing them to decide the appropriate response in the same way as they would with 101 calls.
The reporting person is updated with details including their incident number, and advised if police are attending, or if the report can be dealt with and resolved by phone, and any relevant support information or advice. If police are attending, the person will be given information including details of the attending officer, and any other key information such as crime prevention advice or victim support.
“Online reporting is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and enables a person to report a crime straightaway without any delays. It’s quick and easy and reports will be dealt with in live time so we can respond as quickly as possible. Our ‘101’ service is still available and the service is not affected. Reporting online will help us to make sure we can prioritise those who need to speak to us via 101,” says ACC Henderson.
You can make a report online at https://www.psni.police.uk/report which is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
You can continue to call police to report a non-emergency incident via 101, always dial 999 in an emergency.