Say Hello to Bobbi: Staffordshire Police’s New Virtual Assistant

Staffordshire Police are the first force in the Midlands region to introduce Bobbi, a new AI-powered virtual assistant, designed to make it easier and faster for you to get answers to common questions. 

Bobbi has been designed to help with non-emergency, first-contact queries, as part of a year-long pilot scheme within the force.

Whether you need advice, guidance, or signposting, Bobbi can provide quick, bespoke answers using the same trusted information our call handlers rely on. If Bobbi can’t answer your question, it will then connect you to a human member of the policing team to help. 

The virtual assistant, which is built into the Live Chat facility on the Staffordshire Police website, offers an additional service to the public alongside online forms, telephone lines and front counters.

You cannot use the technology to report a crime, and it is not replacing the 999 emergency line.

Why are Staffordshire Police introducing Bobbi?

• To improve your experience by giving faster answers and clearer guidance on non-emergencies
• To reduce waiting times on 101, freeing up call handlers to focus on the most complex and serious cases that require human empathy and specialist skills
• To use technology effectively as part of the policing plan and digital strategy.

It’s important to know:

• Bobbi is for non-emergency queries only. If a crime is in progress or you need urgent help, always call 999
• If your query is complex or sensitive, Bobbi will refer you to a human who works at the police force.
• This is a 12-month trial, and experienced staff will continue to train Bobbi, stay up-to-date with legislation and policies, and evolve in line with the needs of our communities.

Chief Superintendent Matt Morgan, who is Head of the Staffordshire Police contact centre, said: “This is an exciting development for the force.

“It is hoped that the investment in this technology will continue to help us to respond more quickly to everyone who contacts us with a non-emergency query.

“The virtual assistant is not replacing human call handlers but offers an additional service to the public.

“The introduction of Bobbi is part of our ongoing investment in our contact centre to continue to improve our response times and make sure everyone who contacts us gets a timely and appropriate response.”

Staffordshire Commissioner for Police, Fire & Rescue and Crime, Ben Adams, said: “As Commissioner, a key priority in my Police & Crime Plan has always been investing in improving contact and reducing waiting times, so people’s questions and concerns can be addressed as quickly as possible.

“By allowing the force to process everyday queries more efficiently, Bobbi is designed to free up call handlers to deal with the more sensitive, complex calls that need a human approach. I look forward to seeing the results of this 12-month trial.”

To find out more, you can find Bobbi at the bottom right corner of your screen when you visit the Staffordshire Police website; just click on the speech bubble and ask your non-emergency question.

Any data you share during your chat with Bobbi will remain private and confidential and will not be used outside of Staffordshire Police.