‘Only dial 999 in emergency’ plea after 3,500 calls over weekend

GREATER Manchester Police are urging people only to ring 999 in an emergency after receiving more than 3,500 calls over the weekend.

The force responded to more than 1,860 on Saturday alone, at the same time a major protest took place in Manchester city centre.

Assistant Chief Constable Nicky Porter said additional police officers have had to be brought in over the weekend, to deal with the high levels of demand.

Whilst most of the thousands of calls received were genuine emergencies, ACC Porter said some people had phoned 999 unnecessarily.

These included one caller who used the 999 service to report that their fuel card had been confiscated by a petrol station.

Officers were also called out to reports of a Covid breach, where only the occupants of an address were found by police who attended.

Other calls have included those asking for an update on previous incidents, which do not require the use of the 999 number.

ACC Porter urged the public to use the emergency line with caution, as any non-urgent calls could delay the force in reaching people who are a genuine risk of harm.

“Such reports do contribute to a delay in us reaching other emergency calls where someone’s life or property may be at stake.

“A vast majority of calls are well-intentioned, such as reports of Covid breaches, but should be reported online https://crowd.in/rlzgya, where possible, on Live Chat or via 101 if there is no immediate threat, harm or risk.

“I’d like to thank the public for their co-operation and reassure them that we continue to do all we can so that we can support all those who need us in an emergency as quickly as possible.”