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| West Midlands Police in 24-hour 999 tweetathon | West Midlands Police in 24-hour 999 tweetathon |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Police have released details of inappropriate 999 calls they have received, including one from a man struggling to be served in McDonalds and woman wanting a computer password. | |
| West Midlands Police is tweeting details of the calls to encourage people to think before dialling 999. | |
| The force wants more people to use the non-emergency 101 number and keep 999 lines for life-or-death situations. | |
| The calls will be tweeted for 24 hours on Friday. | The calls will be tweeted for 24 hours on Friday. |
| One of the first tweets said: "999 call just received from an unlocked phone in a pocket, tying up an emergency line. Remember to check your phone is locked!" | |
| Another tweet said police were trying to trace a young man who was "abusing our 999 operators" from a call box. | |
| Ch Insp Sally Holmes said: "These calls are ridiculous... We regularly receive calls on the 'nines' about lost property, people asking for directions and from people who have been denied entry to a nightclub." | Ch Insp Sally Holmes said: "These calls are ridiculous... We regularly receive calls on the 'nines' about lost property, people asking for directions and from people who have been denied entry to a nightclub." |
| Staff at the force contact centre in Bournville in Birmingham - where all force-wide 999 calls are processed - started tweeting via @WMPolice at 07:00 GMT, and will stop at 07:00 GMT on Saturday. | Staff at the force contact centre in Bournville in Birmingham - where all force-wide 999 calls are processed - started tweeting via @WMPolice at 07:00 GMT, and will stop at 07:00 GMT on Saturday. |
| The centre has a total of 87 staff working across five shifts day and night, with 56 staff taking non-emergency 101 calls, she said. | The centre has a total of 87 staff working across five shifts day and night, with 56 staff taking non-emergency 101 calls, she said. |