News

Make the Right Call

2 December 2024

Knowing how and when to get in touch with the police can sometimes be confusing.

Here is some information to help you make the right call. #MakeTheRightCall

Made The Wrong Call?

Call 999; stay on the line

Between June 2023 and May 2024, we had 23,279 abandoned 999 calls to our force control room.

This is where someone has called 999 and hung up before speaking to an operator. We have a duty to ensure that the call was a mistaken dial, rather than a genuine emergency, and this takes valuable time that could be spent helping those in need.

For each abandoned call, it can take anywhere between ten seconds to ten minutes to confirm if someone is in need or not. Following up on abandoned calls is necessary but takes valuable time and resources away from those who genuinely need our help.

So, if you call us by mistake, no matter what the reason, stay on the line and explain it was an error.

If you call 999 and hang up, the first thing we will try to do is call you back. This will show up as a withheld number, but please answer. You won’t be in trouble; we just want to check that you are okay.

The ultimate advice is if you dial 999 by mistake, stay on the line so we can check you’re okay.

How can you reduce your risk of pocket dialling?

Android devices have a built-in security app called ‘Smart Lock’ which automatically locks the device when it’s not around you and unlocks when it is. It is a simple process to disable this which will reduce the risk of you inadvertently pocket dialling Emergency SOS or other individuals. This will not disable the function to dial emergency SOS. Follow the steps below to disable this feature:

  1. Open settings
  2. Go to lock screen and security folder
  3. Click ‘Secure lock settings’
  4. Located at the bottom, you will find ‘Smart Lock’, open this
  5. If ‘On-body detection’ is enabled, simply disable

Apple / iOS devices are even easier to choose what features can and cannot be used whilst the device is locked. Follow the steps below to amend your settings:

  1. Open settings
  2. Open ‘Touch ID and passcode folder’
  3. Scroll down to the field name ‘allow access when locked’
  4. Enable / disable the features

iOS users can also rapidly click the sleep / wake button five times to quickly call emergency services. Follow the steps below to disable the settings for auto-calling:

  1. Open settings
  2. Open Emergency SOS
  3. Disable Auto Call