Press 1 to report a crime - invalid entry - goodbye.

Just when you thought every possible organisation that could employ automated call-handling had done it...Thursday's London Metro newspaper reported that Police in the UK are considering a 'dial-a-crime' telephone service.

The metro reported: "Call centre-style automated phone systems with numbered menus should be brought in for victims to report crimes, police have been told.
The 'dial-a-crime' service would save money and ease pressure on police control room staff, an official report suggested.
It should be coupled with other 'self-service channels', such as internet sites with online forms, for users to give details of minor offences or report anti-social behaviour. "

I assume it won't be long before an offshore call-centre is handling our 999 service and will ask us to hold whilst he gives us a log-number to report a crime!

The benefits of online reporting and the like for minor (so-called petty) crime makes sense (although the mere fact that it just goes in a database presupposes the thought that at some time someone, somewhere will actually be accessing and using the information to actually solve a crime rather than just run a report for a statistical analysis.

In a time when the fear of crime is rising, it seems crazy that what little interaction between police and the public is to be eroded by unwanted solutions such as automated call-handling.

The idea was put forward by the Home Office-funded National Policing Improvement Agency on the basis that 'Well automated self-service interactions can cost as little as 15 per cent of costs, when compared to the costs of interacting with a live agent.' ....Well forgive me, but i quite like the idea of SPEAKING TO THE POLICE rather than leaving a voicemail!

As for the failed ASBO solution to cut anti-social behaviour, I suppose this would mean that the automated system could just send a text message ASBO to the trouble-maker....yep, that'll really save some cost....and probably be as effective as the current solution.