In America, it means a beginners' guide, in Britain a fictional torture chamber, and now 101 is also an antisocial behaviour hotline.
The government's single non-emergency number is being launched today in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Later it will be tried in Northumbria, Cardiff, Sheffield and Leicestershire, before going nationwide in 2008.
The idea is that the line will relieve pressure on hard-pressed 999 services - currently 70% of 999 calls are classed as non-emergency. The public is being urged to dial 101 to report minor acts of thuggery and major acts of littering. The list of suggested misdemeanours that should trigger a call includes vandalism, graffiti, noisy neighbours, drunken behaviour, fly tipping and abandoned cars. Cats stuck up trees are not on the list, but bad street lighting is.
All calls will cost 10p, which means we will be paying for the privilege of doing our duty, according to David Random. The 10p charge is designed to deter hoax calls, which are on the increase according to the ambulance blog Nee Naw.
The 101 operators must be hoping callers to the hotline don't take their cue from the chat show Room 101 and simply witter on about what annoys them.
