Sussex Police are the first force in the UK to use the internet as a way of talking to the public.

The force have introduced a range of options for non-emergency communications to reduce pressure to the 999 service and make information more available.

In the latest move, an email service has been launched to provide digital access to your local bobby. People can contact the police from email buttons on the force's web site.

Every member of the force has been allocated an individual email account and messages will be routed to the most suitable person to handle the inquiry.

Superintendent Nick Bennett of Sussex Police said: "Email allows people to ask legal queries, report abandoned vehicles and let us know about non-urgent incidents online.

"We have found online communication useful for handling lost property problems. People can tell us what is missing and we can email them a reference number and details of the local station to which the matter has been referred.

"This is not a service to be used for emergency situations. If people need a direct police response, they will get one. This is about enabling people to ask all sorts of questions on which we can offer helpful advice, using the convenience of email."

Sussex Police have been working on a communications strategy for more than two years. The force was the first in the country to set up a dedicated call-handling centre which now employs 55 staff.

All non-emergency calls to the police are fielded by the Lewes-based handling centre which can be called from anywhere in the county on 0845 6070999. The 0845 number replaced 28 individual Sussex station numbers to provide a single point of contact for the force.

Superintendent Bennett said: "Our non-emergency telephone number has significantly eased the pressures on the 999 service, and 85 per cent of callers are satisfied or very pleased with the service in the county.

"We will soon be improving the service further by giving all staff individual voice mail. By dialling the 0845 number people, will be able to leave messages for their beat officer on a secure voice mail account.

"The system will be protected to ensure confidentiality. It will not be like leaving messages on an answerphone where anyone could pick them up. We aim to offer a total call-handling service which matches anything in the private sector in terms of quality.

We are ahead on every European standard for call-handling and we are one of the leading forces in the country for our communications."

The force receives about 1.8 million non-emergency calls a year and emergency 999 calls totalled about 265,000 last year.

BT has been working with Sussex Police, providing the know-how for the technological expansion. Last week, BT was awarded a five-year contract, worth £4million, to continue developing further methods for handling non-emergency contact with the force.

Jeff Parris, general manager for BT Quadrant Public Safety, said: "To solve a problem on the phone costs ten times less than calling an officer to a scene. We are delighted to help Sussex Police to become the most responsive force in the country."

www.sussex.police.uk