Meet Bobbi: The AI Chatbot Easing Police Call Center Chaos!

Police forces in the South of England are testing a new way to help people with their questions. Thames Valley Police and Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary have started using an AI chatbot named Bobbi to answer non-emergency questions. These two police forces receive up to 5,000 calls every day, and the number of calls is increasing. Many of these calls are not emergencies, but they still need to be answered. The police hope that Bobbi will help reduce the pressure on call handlers by dealing with frequently asked questions.

Bobbi is available on the police website as a virtual assistant. When someone visits the site, a chat window appears with a message from Bobbi: 'Hi, I'm Bobbi, your AI Virtual Assistant. Please tell me how I can help you today? The more specific you can be about your question or issue, the better I'll be able to assist you. ' Bobbi has been trained using the same information that police call handlers and digital desk operators use. This means Bobbi can answer questions about things like reporting a lost item, finding out about local police services, or getting advice on non-urgent matters. If Bobbi cannot answer a question, or if the person wants to speak to a real person, the chatbot will transfer the conversation to a member of the police staff.

Chief Superintendent Simon Dodds says that the introduction of Bobbi is not about reducing staff numbers. Instead, it is about improving the service for the community. By providing quick responses to common questions, Bobbi helps make sure that everyone can get the help they need, whenever they need it. Bobbi is still being improved and will continue to be updated by experienced staff to fix any problems and keep up with changes in laws and policies. The police tested Bobbi with more than 200 people, including victim care groups, to make sure it works well. This new technology is part of the police's efforts to make their services more efficient and accessible to the public.