United Kingdom, South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire Police
Bobbi AI chatbot (non-emergency enquiries)
OperationalJournalismPAI-3AD6F6EE
- Body
- South Yorkshire Police
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Area
- South Yorkshire
- Technology
- Bobbi AI chatbot (non-emergency enquiries)
- Supplier
- Not stated in the source
- Status
- Operational
In routine use by the named body, on the evidence of a public source. - Stage
- In use now
- Since
- October 2026
- Legal basis
- Not stated in the source
- Oversight
- Not stated in the source
- Evidence
- Journalism
Named reporting by a reputable outlet - Source
- Resultsense, 2 October 2026 (citing BBC News)
- Last checked
- Record code
PAI-3AD6F6EE
Notes
Resultsense reported on 2 October 2026, citing the BBC, that South Yorkshire Police had switched on an AI chatbot called Bobbi on its website on Thursday 1 October 2026 to answer routine non-emergency questions and reduce calls to 101. The report says Bobbi cannot take crime reports and is not a substitute for 999, and that it answers from material the force supplied, not from the open web. Chief Superintendent Cherie Buttle is quoted: "It is an alternative to, not a replacement, for some 101 calls." The force handles over 1,000 calls to 101 a day. The report says Hampshire and Isle of Wight, Thames Valley and Humberside already use the same tool; it does not name a supplier for South Yorkshire. The force also began using the national AI 101 call-routing system in August 2026, recorded separately.
Other systems used by South Yorkshire Police
| Deployment | Country | Supplier | Since | Status | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Yorkshire PoliceAI Emergency and Non-Emergency Call Triage | United KingdomSouth Yorkshire | Home Office and NPCC, with Vodafone Business | 2026 | Operational | |
| South Yorkshire PoliceFacial recognition trial at Meadowhall shopping centre (run by British Land) | United KingdomSouth Yorkshire | — | 2018 | Discontinued |
Bobbi AI chatbot (non-emergency enquiries) elsewhere in United Kingdom
See them in the tracker| Deployment | Country | Supplier | Since | Status | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home OfficeAI 101 call routing and triage | United KingdomEngland and Wales | Home Office and NPCC with Vodafone Business | 2026 | Trial | |
| Thames Valley PoliceAI Emergency and Non-Emergency Call Triage | United KingdomThames Valley | Salesforce (Agentforce 360 platform), according to Salesforce | 2025 | Operational | |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight ConstabularyAI Emergency and Non-Emergency Call Triage | United KingdomHampshire and Isle of Wight | Salesforce (Agentforce 360 platform), according to Salesforce | 2025 | Operational | |
| Staffordshire PoliceAI Emergency and Non-Emergency Call Triage | United KingdomStaffordshire | Salesforce (platform) | 2026 | Proposed | |
| Cumbria ConstabularyAI 101 call routing | United KingdomCumbria | Home Office and NPCC, with Vodafone Business | 2026 | Operational | |
| Humberside PoliceBobbi AI virtual assistant | United KingdomHumberside | Salesforce (Agentforce platform) | 2025 | Trial | |
| Cambridgeshire ConstabularyCitizen Assist AI online crime reporting | United KingdomCambridgeshire | — | 2026 | Trial | |
| Merseyside PoliceBobbi AI virtual assistant (non-emergency enquiries) | United KingdomMerseyside | — | — | Operational | |
| West Midlands PoliceAndi-Esra AI voice assistant for 101 calls | United KingdomWest Midlands | TTEC Digital and AWS, with West Midlands Police (per Police Science magazine) | 2024 | Operational | |
| Nottinghamshire PoliceAI 101 call routing (pilot) | United KingdomNottinghamshire | Home Office and NPCC, with Vodafone Business | — | Trial |