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West Midlands Police in 24-hour 999 tweetathon | West Midlands Police in 24-hour 999 tweetathon |
(about 4 hours later) | |
Police have released details of inappropriate 999 calls they have received, including one from a man struggling to be served in McDonalds and a woman wanting a laptop password. | Police have released details of inappropriate 999 calls they have received, including one from a man struggling to be served in McDonalds and a woman wanting a laptop password. |
West Midlands Police is tweeting details of the calls to encourage people to think before dialling 999. | 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 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!" | 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. | Another tweet said police were trying to trace a young man who was "abusing our 999 operators" from a call box. |
Police also tweeted a 999 call from a man who wanted them to "come out to frighten his sister", describing it as "a waste of police time". | Police also tweeted a 999 call from a man who wanted them to "come out to frighten his sister", describing it as "a waste of police time". |
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." | |
The police tweeted that by 13:30 GMT they had taken 391 emergency calls, compared with 553 in the same period two weeks ago when there was heavy snow in the area. | |
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 on Friday, and will stop at 07:00 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. |