Tayside Police has a new telephone number for people to contact in non-emergency situations: 0300 111 2222.

The new number replaces its previous 0845 number and is for people wishing to contact the force to seek advice or to pass on non-urgent information.

0300 111 2222 is more memorable than its predecessor and is expected to reduce the amount of inappropriate 999 calls that the force receives.

Telephone numbers with the 0300 prefix are exclusively for the public sector and cost people the same to call as regular landline 01 and 02 numbers - even from mobile phones. Research by one police force has shown that around 75% of the calls they receive from the public are now made from mobile phones.

AAlongside the reduced cost to callers, 0300 numbers offer Tayside Police all of the same call management features as its previous 0845 number.

Neil Sherring, chief executive of Windsor Telecom plc, the company that provided the new number, said: “Many UK police forces are now choosing 0300 numbers because they allow exactly the same call management features as 08 type numbers, but offer their callers totally transparent call costs, even from mobiles. In fact, the majority of callers won’t be charged at all, as 0300 numbers are included in the free minutes offered by all network providers. This is important when, according to Ofcom, 40% of all calls made in the UK are now from mobiles.”

Tayside Police is the first force in Scotland to introduce an 0300 number.

Superintendent Hamish Macpherson, Head of Tayside Police’s Force Communications Centre, said: “I am delighted to announce the launch of the new non-emergency number in Tayside. I personally have attended Community Meetings where concern has been shown regarding how memorable the 0845 number was. Tayside Police was also concerned that calling an ‘08′ number from a mobile phone may add a barrier to the public calling the police. This new number overcomes all these issues.”

Tayside Police joins the Metropolitan Police Service, Staffordshire Police and West Mercia Police amongst the other UK forces that have all opted for 0300 telephone numbers in the last 12 months.