Silly 999 calls are a waste of time

Sep 19 2008 by Our Correspondent, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

CENTRAL Scotland Police are the latest section of the emergency services who have appealed to the public to think twice before they make a 999 call.

Too often, too many of the calls are flippant or plain daft, and could be delaying officers responding to a real life and death situation.

Like the woman who called to complain that the rabbit she had bought did not have floppy ears, or the chap who demanded police action because his Chinese takeaway contained too many onions, or the bloke who was furious because a passing car had driven through a puddle and splashed him.

Hard to believe, but these were real calls. And they are simply the latest examples.

Previous classics include the person who dialled 999 because they wanted to hire an ambulance for a fashion parade, or the woman whose zip was stuck on her dress, or the girl whose hair extensions were falling out or the bloke who demanded an ambulance because he had stubbed his toe.

That’s not to mention the mother who told her child to ring 999 one Christmas and ask if Santa was there because she was getting on her nerves.

Police, ambulance and fire services do an incredibly hard job as it is without silly calls that take up time on the emergency switchboard.

As Chief Inspector Alan Stewart of the Central Scotland Police said, “While officers and staff are dealing with these frivolous matters they are not dealing with genuine emergency calls.”