Here is a reminder of how you can contact Cambridgeshire Police, and when it is most appropriate to use each method of contact.
Calling 999:
If you are involved or are witness to a situation where:
- you think things could get heated or violent very soon,
- someone is in serious danger or harm,
- a disruption to the public is likely,
- you require police assistance right away,
please call 999 – this is what we would classify as an emergency. If you accidentally dial 999, please stay on the line and tell the operator you’re safe and that no crime has occurred. If you’re in danger but you can’t talk on the phone, you should still call 999, then follow these instructions.
If you have a hearing or speech impairment, you can use our textphone service 18000 or text us on 999 if you’ve pre-registered with the emergencySMS service. If you’re a British Sign Language (BSL) user, you can call 999 BSL to use a remote BSL interpreter.
Calling 101:
101 is our non-emergency phone number. Please use 101 to:
- report minor and non-urgent crimes
- to report crimes that are not currently in progress (where a high-priority response is not required)
- or to offer evidence in an investigation.
If you have a hearing or speech impairment, use our textphone service on 18001 101.
When you call us on 101, call handlers will ask you for some information about the reason for your call so they can ‘triage’ the call, and direct you to the relevant team.
During busy periods, you may have to wait for an operator to assist you. If you do have access to online services, these can be used to skip the queues on the 101 phone line.
We offer a live web chat service which can be accessed via our website (click the green speech bubble in the corner of the screen and you will be connected to an operator). Web chat can be used for advice, guidance or to report a non-urgent crime. Web chats are dealt with in the same way, and by the same people as 101 calls.
You can also report non-emergency crimes via our website at any time using our online report forms. Again, these are dealt with in the same way, and by the same people as 101 calls. You will receive an auto-response with your crime reference number, your crime will be recorded by our operators and they will be in touch if they need more information from you.
Please note that waste and litter, fly tipping, pests, noise complaints, discard syringes or drug paraphernalia, dangerous buildings or structures and burst water mains are all council issues, and not police.
Social media
You can also direct message us on Facebook and Twitter to report non-urgent crime. Follow us on Twitter and on Facebook. Replies are not instant but our inboxes are monitored.
