The public can e-mail the Sussex police about non-urgent incidents and victims specifically of theft at Gatwick Airport can complete a crime report on-line and receive a crime number there and then. The web site also handles enquiries about lost and found property to save attendances at police stations. The technology and infrastructure for the scheme is to be provided by BT and Nortel Networks, in a deal worth £4 million.
According to Thursday’s Daily Telegraph, the 999 emergency service in Sussex received about 280,000 calls last year. It is hoped that this initiative will significantly reduce the time and cost of dealing with less serious crimes.
The police are considering ways to expand the service to incorporate more serious crimes. Superintendent Nicholas Bennett said they are looking into the possibility of using software to scan e-mails for key words to identify the more serious enquiries. He stressed that people should not e-mail about incidents in progress or serious incidents. "In an emergency the public should always call the 999 telephone emergency service, the quality of which will not be affected by the new on-line service," says Bennett.
The Sussex police site can be accessed at www.sussex.police.uk