Contacting the police

Every contact we receive about a policing issue is answered by a member of our team, whether it’s through one of our online options or on the phone.

There are many ways to contact the police to get the help and information you need.

Many of our services are available online so please always look on our website before calling the police and try to keep the phone lines free for those who don’t have access to the internet.

Calls to ask questions, tells us about a non-emergency issues and even hoax and joke calls are not emergency calls. All these additional calls prevent our contact centre helping someone in a real emergency.

Report crime online

Reporting online is an easy way to report information. Simply record all the details on the online form then submit the form via our website. Our contact centre staff will receive the form, record the crime and provide you with a crime reference number.

Visit www.devon-cornwall.police.uk/contact to make a report.

Call 101

Our contact centre staff are available to answer your calls day or night, however we often get a high volume of calls so if you call us you may have to wait to speak to someone. If you have access to the internet you may be able to find the answer to your query using one of the online channels.

Contact options for people who are deaf, hearing-impaired or speech-impaired:

  • Minicom/textphone: 18001 101
  • SMS/Text: 67101
  • SignLive (via BSL interpreters)

Emergency

In an emergency, when life is threatened, people are injured, offenders are nearby or immediate action is required, always dial 999.

Contact options for people who are deaf, hearing-impaired or speech-impaired:

  • SMS/Text: 999 (pre-registered)
  • Minicom/textphone: 18000

You will need to register your mobile phone before using the emergency SMS service - please do that now in case you ever need it in the future.

This service is only for people who cannot easily use voice phones.

It is not an extra service  for contacting the emergency services about other things or for people who don't have hearing or speech impairments.

To register for the emergency text service, text the word ‘register’ to 80999 or register online.

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