The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Premium rate 999 proposal
THE MAN who represents the views of Tayside police officers has claimed people should be charged to dial ‘999’.
Tayside Police Federation secretary David Hamilton said those dialling the emergency services number should be charged 50p in a bid to slash the volume of calls received by the force.
The proposals by Mr Hamilton, a police sergeant who represents more than 1,000 officers in his role for the Federation, would mean victims of crime being charged a premium rate for what is currently a free service.
He said control rooms were under pressure because of the sheer volume of emergency calls being made and his idea would make sure only those with “real emergencies” dialled ‘999’.
Figures supplied by Tayside Police reveal that the force traditionally receives around 400,000 calls each year of which 50,000 will be ‘999’ calls.
In a post on Twitter, Mr Hamilton said: “Maybe time to make ‘999’ a premium rate number?
“If a genuine emergency you’d spend 50p to report it. Phoneboxes exempt.”
His comments drew criticism from Victim Support and a member of the Tayside Joint Police Board.
Mr Hamilton’s claims of emergency services being under pressure came as it emerged police and fire services across Scotland have been subjected to over 700 cases of vandalism in the last two years, including cases of missiles being launched at firefighters while they attend emergencies.
Fife Fire and Rescue reported six incidents where crews were pelted with objects, while a senior firefighter claimed such episodes could risk the safety of both emergency services and members of the public.
Colin Grieve, area manager for community safety at Fife Fire and Rescue, also said attacks can affect firefighters both personally and professionally.
Jim Malone, of the Fire Brigades Union Scotland, revealed specialists can be flown in from Scandinavia to repair vehicles damaged by vandals.
THE MAN who represents more than 1,000 police officers inTayside has made a radical proposal which would see people paying to use the ‘999’ emergency service in an effort to slash the volume of calls received by the force.
The controversial suggestion which would mean victims of crime being charged a premium rate for what is currently a free service was made by David Hamilton, Tayside Police Federation secretary.
Figures supplied by Tayside Police reveal that the force traditionally receive around 400,000 calls each year of which 50,000 will be ‘999’ calls .
Mr Hamilton said that his proposals arise from what he claims is a “real problem”.
In a post on Twitter, he said: “Maybe time to make ‘999’ a premium rate number?
“If a genuine emergency you’d spend 50p to report it. Phoneboxes exempt.”
When contacted by The Courier, he expanded his reasoning saying: “I used to work in the police control room and the problem is getting worse and worse.
“If we were to charge premium rates people would be less likely to use ‘999’ and then you would get people who only need it for real emergencies.”
He continued: “People might say you can’t charge this as it’s a public service but control staff are getting tied up. My comments put the topic into the mix and it’s a way of doing something about it.”
He added: “You could charge 50p or 30p from mobile phones but I would leave phonebox calls free.
“We need big thinking on this as it’s a real problem.”
However, Mr Hamilton’s suggestion has been criticised with Councillor Alexander Stewart, one of the representatives of Perth City South and a member of the Tayside Joint Police Board, commenting: “This is a short-sighted view by an individual and should be treated as such.
“I am not in favour of it. There are lots of people who abuse the ‘999’ service and I can understand the reasoning behind Mr Hamilton’s feelings, but the facility is there for people who have experienced an emergency or tragedy.
“People need someone instantly to talk to – not to be worrying about the cost of the call if they are on the line for 10 minutes.”
He added: “It might be his personal views but because Mr Hamilton is the Tayside Police Federation secretary this can be quite dangerous and it grows arms and legs.
“He has probably used Twitter to be deliberately controversial.”
Mr Hamilton’s suggestions didn’t find favour with Victim Support Scotland either, with David Sinclair, their head of communications, responding: “From an organisation that represents more than 200,000 victims and witnesses, I don’t think these comments are the most serious in the world.”
Last year it was revealed that Tayside Police receives among the highest level of emergency calls in the country.
Figures presented to the Tayside Joint Police Board showed that in a three month period Tayside recorded the third highest level of 999 emergency calls, 321 per 10,000 of population, just below levels in Strathclyde (346) and Lothian & Borders (324), and above the Scottish average (308).
Deputy Chief Constable Gordon Scobbie told the board: “It is to be anticipated that the force will record a level of emergency calls per 10,000 of population placing us in the top four amongst the Scottish forces.”