Not For 999
Every week, call handlers in our Demand Hub receive many calls to 999 which are not genuine emergencies. In fact, on average around 80% of the 999 calls we receive should not have come through to the emergency line.
To reserve call handlers’ time on the line for real emergencies, we ask that you only call 999 when someone is in immediate danger, people are injured, offenders are nearby, or immediate action is required.
For anything that is not time sensitive and does not require urgent police attendance, it will be classed as a non-emergency. For this, you can use our self-service online reports or web chat, or dial 101 if you do not have online access.
As part of our #NotFor999 campaign, we’re sharing some real recordings of people misusing the emergency line to show the reality of what our call handlers face when trying to assist people in times of serious need.
This is to remind the public that if an emergency service is busy attending or dealing with a hoax call, they could be prevented from attending a genuine call. This can cost lives and waste valuable resources.
If you are unsure whether you require the emergency line or not, the general guidance is to call 999 if:
- An offence is in progress, or has just happened
- The situation requires immediate police presence
- Someone is in serious danger / harm
- The offender / offenders are still at the scene
- The situation is likely to escalate and could cause a disruption to the public
- Property is likely to get damaged
If your issue does not meet the above criteria, you should call us on our non emergency line (101) or use our online reports or web chat, which are often quicker than calling 101.