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North Yorkshire Police on 999 Nuisance Calls

Police in North Yorkshire have revealed details of inappropriate 999 calls received recently.

A late bus; a hair in a pizza; and a question about what time the supermarket opens - these are just a few of the calls made to North Yorkshire Police's 999 emergency and 101 non-emergency lines recently.

Officers say:

'While they might seem amusing, calls like these tie up our resources and may stop us from getting help for a vulnerable person in need.

Our staff work extremely hard to ensure that those who need help quickly receive it, but as the glorious weather is set to continue, and tourists flock to our beautiful county for the summer holidays, we’re asking you to help us.

On average we receive around 8,726 ‘999’ emergency calls and 12,278 ‘101’ non-emergency calls a month.

Emergency 999 calls will always take priority, and during times of increased demand, those who are calling 101 to report non-emergencies may have to wait longer, but if phone lines are busy, please bear with us and consider using our call back function.

Many 999 calls however are not an emergency, and so as demand is set to soar this summer, we would ask you to help us and only call 999 in a genuine emergency.

Please don’t ring 999 because your taxi hasn’t arrived, because you’ve got a complaint about your takeaway after a night out or because you can’t get hold of the service you need.

We are an emergency service, and it’s vital that we can respond to those who need us most.'

Assistant Chief Constable Lindsey Butterfield says it wastes time which could affect more important calls:

ACC Butterfield says people have even called if their pizza's delivered late or when a bus hasn't arrived:

We also receive a significant number of calls where the caller should have directed their call to an alternative, and more appropriate agency or service and not the police.

In addition, we have calls where the caller has accidentally “pocket dialled” us or given their phone to a child who accidentally calls our emergency number.

In this instance, our Communications Officers must spend time calling the person back to check it’s not a genuine emergency, meaning they are unavailable to answer incoming calls.

We take hundreds of calls every day and want to be able to deliver an exemplary service to everyone who contacts us.

But these nuisance or misdirected calls may stop us from getting help for a vulnerable person in need so all we would ask is that you think twice before picking up the phone and ringing us on 999 if it is not an emergency.

So, when should you call 999 ❓

If there’s an immediate risk to life or a crime in progress you should always call 999 but if it’s not, there are other routes officers would ask you to use.

If you’re reporting an incident which isn’t an emergency and/or has already happened, then using the police's website to report it or calling 101 instead of 999 would be a preferred option.

Police say the report is handled no differently whether you report it online via the website or if you call 101, and the investigation does not alter.

This is a real call made to the 999 number:

The man had rang after a delay to a North Yorkshire bus service:

Police say their website can also be used if you want to provide information about an incident which has already happened or about an ongoing issue within your community – such as drug dealing or anti-social behaviour.

There are also a number of issues which are not a policing matter such as noise complaints; nuisance parking; civil disputes; animal and wildlife problems; roadworks; road closures and diversions; and fly tipping.

And in this instance, Police say they would ask for you to direct your enquiry to the appropriate agency, helping them keep 999 lines clear for time critical emergencies.

The advice and information page on their website has a useful menu which outlines which agency you should contact for each issue – just search for ‘advice and information’.

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