Cars for sale and stolen snowmen among 999 calls

Police reveal abuse of the emergency line Caller: ‘It ain’t a nice road but you don’t expect anybody to nick your snowman’

Police have warned people not to abuse the emergency 999 number after a motorist called to ask for details about a car for sale.

The caller was among 70 people who needlessly dialled 999 during a single seven-hour shift last month, with almost half of the 158 calls taken by operators deemed inappropriate.

Anothe caller reported they had seen a car speeding 10 minutes before - despite being unable to provide any registration details.

Some callers even admitted to using the free 999 service because their mobile credit was low, while others said they did not want to wait in the queue for the non-emergency 101 number.

Kent Police has warned that needless 999 calls pose a risk to life by diverting the attention of operators from pressing and seri- ous incidents.

Ch Supt Nicola Faulconbridge, head of crime and incident response, said: “We’re not doing this to shame or embarrass the people who’ve dialled 999. We just want people to think first whether their call really does constitute a real emergency.

“We are currently experiencing an extremely high number of calls to both 999 and 101 and I know at peak times it can take us longer than usual to answer 101 calls.

“Our operators do answer calls as quickly as possible, and I’d ask people to be patient and try again later if possible.”

Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott admits it can be frustrating to be held in a 101 queue, but says he has been holding the Chief Constable to account and response times are improving.

“The force needs the public’s help too,” he added. “At periods of peak demand it is entirely right that 999 calls are prioritised and it is not acceptable for 999 to be used simply as an alternative to 101. Every inappropriate call to 999 puts the lives of people in a genuine emergency at risk.”

Unwarranted 999 calls to Kent Police made headlines in 2014 after one woman used the emergency number to report the theft of a snowman.

Officers were so annoyed they released a recording of the call, in which the ‘victim’ says: “It ain’t a nice road but you don’t expect anybody to nick your snowman.”