West Midlands Police officers could not believe their ears when a member of the public rang the emergency 999 number to ask how to call the police.
UNBELIEVABLE - This sound clip is taken from an actual 999 call. In it, the man who dialed 999 asks how to call 101. http://t.co/2qcAKG8jat
The gentleman seemed stumped on how to call 101, the non-emergency number.
Police regularly release such audio clips to highlight the fact people ringing 999 for inappropriate reasons are potentially putting lives at risk.
These calls are ridiculous. It's astonishing listening to them but they hide a serious truth.Each call often takes minutes to deal with as our staff have to clarify the situation – it might not sound like much but if someone is trying to get through to report a genuine life or death emergency, then a minute is a very long time to wait.I cannot stress enough that the 999 number is for emergencies only.