PCC Marc Jones welcomes scrapping of 101 charge fee

The Home Office has announced that it will scrap the charge and spend £7m a year to fund the phone service in the UK.

The move comes after Lincolnshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Marc Jones raised at a national level the issue of residents being charged to provide vital intelligence and report crimes to policing.

Lincolnshire Police receives around 250,000 101 calls a year – more than 670 a day – to report non-emergency incidents.

The service was introduced in December 2011 to free up calls to 999.

The removal of charges equates to a £37,500 saving for the residents of Lincolnshire.

Mr Jones added: “This is really positive news. Reporting crime, passing on vital information or highlighting abuse shouldn’t hit the caller in their pocket no matter how small the charge. For me it’s a simple point of principle.

“Victims of domestic abuse sometimes have their finances and activities controlled or closely monitored by their abuser and this change is yet another positive step to ensuring they can seek the help they need and deserve.

“This move is good for victims and good for the people of Lincolnshire.”