When NOT to call 999

11:06am Monday 6th October 2008

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Examples of inappropriate 999 calls to Bromley police in the last year.

Individuals called:

- Asking how to get a taxi.

- Asking for a lift home.

- Asking for directions.

- Complaining that benefit payments had not been received.

- Reporting that pet tortoises had been stolen.

ONLY 17 per cent of 999 calls received in the last year by Bromley police were deemed worthy of an emergency response.

From September 10 last year to August 31 this year, Bromley police received 104,224 calls on the emergency phoneline.

Of these, only 18,066 resulted in immediate action by coppers.

Not only should many of the calls not have been made to the 999 number, many were not police matters.

For instance, a woman called the emergency line to ask if officers could pop round to her house to pick up her dogs and drop them off at a relative's because she was staying in hospital over night.

On another occasion, a man called to say that the trains on the line behind his house were making a 'click clunk click clunk' noise instead of the usual 'click click click click' noise.

Superintendent Matt Bell from Bromley Police: "These calls may seem amusing but the callers are clearly misusing the 999 facility.

"I certainly don't want to deter people from calling their local police service, and in fact I often think that sometimes elderly people in particular do not ring as they do not want to bother us.

"But I would just ask people to make sure that they use the most appropriate number when ringing the police."

A more sinister call to the police from a pay phone claimed a nine-year-old girl had been shot in the stomach in Chipperfield Road in St Mary Cray.

A firearms unit was deployed and officers searched, but it turned out to be a hoax.

Mr Bell said: "For every hoax call that is made the potential exists for lives to be put at risk.

"I find that irresponsible and unforgivable that people would make such calls."

Other reasons calls did not get an immediate police response include accidental calls, often by mobile phones unlocked in pockets and handbags.

Crank calls from drunks or abusive people take up police time, sometimes reporting false allegations.

Other crank calls come from secure units at hospital, or children in care, ringing 999 when they are told that they can't do something like watch TV.

SO WHAT NUMBER DO YOU CALL THE POLICE ON?

999 should be used if an "immediate" response is required - where a crime is happening now or if anyone is in immediate danger.

Otherwise call:

- Your local safer neighbourhood team. Visit met.police.uk to find each ward's details.

- The new non-emergency police number live from October 6 across London: 0300 123 1212

- Bromley police on 01689 891212.