Police urge caution after 999 call about spilt coffee

Police are appealing for the public's help to keep 999 lines free for emergencies.

Call handlers had to deal with more than 250 calls in Gloucestershire on Sunday 4 May, and while most were legitimate emergencies, a number were deemed inappropriate and unrelated to urgent police matters.

In once instance, a member of the public called to report that they had found some spilt coffee in their kitchen and during another call someone reported that a man had been rude to staff at a car wash.

A spokesperson for the force explained the control rooms team answers both 999 and 101 calls, so it is important calls are made to the right phone line.

Ch Insp Paul Cruise has said that the non-urgent calls are not only "a waste of police time" but they delay response time getting to 'people who may urgently need help and may potentially put lives at risk'.

He added: "We are urging people to only call 999 if they have a genuine emergency so we can get to those in desperate need as quickly and effectively as possible."

"If it isn't an emergency, please use our online reporting form or dial 101," he explained.

"There may be a short wait while your call is answered, however the average time it took us to answer 101 calls yesterday was under one minute."

In 2023, a new call back service was introduced to the 101 phone line, meaning that when the phone lines are busy, you are given the option for a call back.

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