Every year the Police receive thousands of nuisance unintended and other misguided calls. Approximately 7 out of 10 calls to Police Emergency 999 are non urgent or non emergency in nature.
These non-emergency calls all add to the load on the 999 system. This makes it harder for emergency services to do their job because they're tied up dealing with inappropriate calls.
Simple tips to prevent accidental or hoax calls:
Use the keypad lock on your mobile phone. It's been known for 999 to be accidentally called when phone keypads get knocked or squashed while in a person's pocket or bag without the keypad lock on.
Don't pre-programme the 999 number into your home or mobile phone. It doesn't actually save you any time and helps prevent accidental 999 calls.
Small fingers can cause big problems - don't let children play with your mobile, portable or landline phone. It's easy for them to accidentally dial 999.
Teach your children how and when to call 999. When teaching children, unplug the phone and emphasise that 999 is for emergencies only.
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