Police trial AI chatbot for non-emergency calls

The combined Thames Valley and Hampshire police forces can field up to 5,000 calls every day, and say demand is rising.

Two police forces in the South are trialing an AI chatbot called Bobbi, to answer frequently asked, non-emergency questions and help ease pressure on call handlers.

Thames Valley Police and the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary say they are the first forces in the country to employ the technology.

Chief Superintendent Simon Dodds said: "This is not about cutting staff."

"It's not unusual within Hampshire and Thames Valley to see 5,000 calls come into our rooms across a 24 hour period and trying to prioritise the 999 calls above the 101 calls and online demand is a real challenge for us," he said.

Bobbi the AI has been trained on the same information referenced by the two police forces' call handlers and digital desk operators.

Bobbi is an additional service which will operate alongside existing telephone lines, online forms and front counters.

The force said it had been tested by more than 200 people during its development, including representatives from victim care groups.

The AI has been trained on the same information referenced by the two police forces' call handlers and digital desk operators.

If Bobbi is unable to answer a question, or if the user says they want to speak to a person, the conversation will be redirected to a member of police staff.

Chief Superintendent Simon Dodds said: "This is not about cutting staff".

Chief Superintendent Simon Dodds said: "By providing quick responses to commonly asked, non-emergency questions, Bobbi will enhance our service to our communities, ensuring that every member of the public can get the help they need, whenever they need it.

"Bobbi will always remain as a work in progress so whilst we are launching the technology today after an intense building and testing period, our experienced staff will continue to train it to fix any bugs, remain up-to-date with legislation and policies and evolve the technology in line with the needs of our communities."