Don’t phone in with minor collisions

REPORTS of minor traffic collisions will no longer be accepted over the phone from this month, due to a change being made by Derbyshire Constabulary.

The force says it will no longer take damage-only reports from members of the public over the phone, and they will now have to be made online.

The change, which came into force on Wednesday, December 1, will mean anyone involved in an accident, or anyone who has witnessed one, will have to fill in an online form.

The form will then generate an incident number, which drivers involved in collisions will need to pass on to their insurance company.

Police chiefs say the change has been put in place to free up time for control room staff to focus on emergency calls and deal with high-risk incidents that require immediate attention.

Assistant chief constable Michelle Shooter, who oversees the work in the control room, said: “We are always looking at ways to streamline the ways in which we work, and to keep our phonelines available for those that need us the most.

“Where possible, we are trying to move as much demand online as we can.

“By reporting RTCS online, the information that is provided is more accurate and would take the same amount of time for you to complete as it would for our staff.

“Where someone genuinely doesn’t have internet access or family and friends to help them to complete the form, a member of our team will contact them to discuss their report further.

“Please help us reduce the demand on non-emergency lines by completing these reports from the comfort of your home and at a time that best suits you.”

Major road traffic incidents which have involved an an injury, life is at risk, or a road is blocked, should still be reported via the 999 emergency line.

The Derbyshire Capture system can still be used to report dangerous driving, and motorists can submit dashcam footage through the online platform. The force says this should not be used for anything other than to report dangerous driving.