Staffordshire Police launch AI chatbot to free up call handlers

Staffordshire Police has launched an AI-powered chatbot to answer non-emergency queries from people, in a bid to cut waiting times and free up call handlers for more complex cases.

The force claimed it was the first in the West Midlands to introduce Bobbi, an AI-virtual assistant, available through the live chat function on its website.

Ch Supt Matthew Morgan, head of the force's contact centre, said one of the most common questions from the public was whether an incident was a crime.

Bobbi is designed to provide answers to routine inquiries, alongside existing online forms, telephone lines and front counters.

"It's designed to make it as easy and as fast as possible to get people answers to common questions," Morgan added.

The force said the chatbot had undergone "robust and relentless challenges" before being launched for a 12-month trial period.

"We wouldn't have deployed it otherwise," Morgan said.

The technology has already been trialled by a number of other forces, including Merseyside Police , Thames Valley Police and Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary.

Staffordshire Police said Bobbi would not replace human call handlers, but help reduce demand on the contact centre.

"Ultimately, what it does is free up our call handlers to focus on those complex and urgent inquiries that absolutely 100% necessitate a human agent," Ch Supt Morgan said.

Bobbi cannot be used to report crimes and is not replacing the 999 emergency service, the force said. Complex or sensitive inquiries will also continue to be dealt with by human staff.

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