The Achieving better for Less Award Shortlist

101 Team, Local Policing, Crime and Justice Unit, Home Office

Earlier this year saw the launch of 101 in London and the South East, a new police non-emergency number that will be rolled out across England and Wales over the next few months. This is a massive achievement, making us one of only a few countries in the world to have achieved such a national service, and the 101 project team is an exceptional and unique example of how to achieve better for less.

Initially established in 2004, the 101 programme aimed to roll out 101 as a national non-emergency phone number as a partnership service involving all police forces and local authorities in England and Wales by 2008. Pilots were launched, which were welcomed by the public; in four areas, however, in 2007, the scheme was ended due to the significant funding required to roll out this top-down, centrally driven and funded model on a national basis (spend had already reached over £40m).

In 2009, a very small new policy team took ownership of the project, quickly recognised that the service was underused and delivering minimal value (only live in a handful of police forces), and worked together with commercial, policing and communications colleagues to radically re-shape the design and delivery approach for 101. Through a fundamental re-design of the project approach, effective cost and benefit analysis and powerful commercial negotiation, the team has managed to achieve this now, at a cost of around only £0.5m to deliver this for the whole country.