Kent Police directs public to use official reporting system for non-emergency incidents

Kent Police’s established policy, set out in its public guidance and echoed by the Office of the Kent Police and Crime Commissioner and local authority communications across Kent, is that social media channels are not monitored in real time for operational incident reporting. Tagging or messaging the force on social media does not generate an incident record or guarantee that a report will reach the Force Control Room.

The force operates a tiered reporting system. Emergencies — where there is an immediate risk to life, violence is being used or threatened, a crime is in progress, or a suspect remains at the scene — should be reported by calling 999. Non-urgent matters that still require a police response should be directed to 101, the single non-emergency number for England and Wales. For non-emergency crime, antisocial behaviour and non-injury road traffic collisions, Kent Police directs the public to its online reporting forms or Live Chat service, both available around the clock.

Reports submitted online are routed into Kent Police systems and reviewed by staff in the Force Control Room, who may contact the reporter for further details. A reference number is issued once a report has been submitted, allowing the matter to be risk-assessed and allocated to officers where appropriate, according to Kent Police guidance.

Neighbourhood Alert and partner local councils in Kent have repeated the message that online reporting and Live Chat offer alternatives when 101 telephone lines are busy, and that digital submissions enter the same control systems used for telephone reports. Specialist routes, including textphone and emergency SMS, are available for people with hearing or speech impairments.

Key information

• Emergencies: Call 999 where there is immediate danger to life, violence is being used or threatened, a crime is in progress, or a suspect is at the scene
• Non-emergency police matters: Call 101 or use Live Chat on the Kent Police website, available 24 hours a day
• Non-emergency crime and non-injury collisions: Report online via the Kent Police website; a reference number is issued on submission
• Social media: The @kent_police account on X is not monitored in real time for incident reports and should not be used as a substitute for 999, 101 or online reporting