Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale MP David Mundell has given his backing to a new national phone line for non-emergency calls to the police.
The 101 number aims to take the strain off the 999 service by giving people an alternative way to report non-urgent crimes, pass on information or get advice.
Calls to 101 will cost 15p from both landlines and mobile phones, with an automatic system detecting the caller's location before connecting them to their nearest available police station.
The local MP is pictured with Head of the Force Communications Centre Inspector Gordon Smith on a visit to one of the 101 call centres.
Mr Mundell said: "The introduction of 101 will provide the public with an easy to remember number to use when they want to contact police when an emergency response is not required.
“We are lucky to live in a low crime area where most people do not need to use an emergency number. But now that we have a new national police force this easily remembered 101 number is important since it will make it easy to contact your local police.
"The public should use this number to report crimes such as car theft, damage to property; if they have information about suspected drug use or drug dealing or if they wish to pass on information to officers.”
He went on to say that the new 101 number would undoubtedly help to keep people safe and make the police response more efficient for everyone.
Deaf, hard of hearing and speech-impaired callers can access the service via TextRelay on 1 800 1 101.
Police say that 999 should still be used for genuine emergencies and urgent situations where a crime is in progress, a life in danger or a suspect nearby.