When is it viewed OK to call 999 ?

[T4R]

I posted a topic a week or so ago about a Mercedes towing a caravan at warp six and swerving. It was suggested by a few BiBs that I should have reported it straight away, and rightly in hindsight. Other than the obvious, e.g. accident, Bedouin pitching camp in lane 3, herds of Bison migrating down the M2 etc. what is considered correct to report immediately?

Thanks

[tonyrec]

Anything that in your opinion would require an Immediate response.

[eliminator]

Numpty in front.

[simpo two]

Wait until 999 meets with the same fate as 192. Then there will be 16 different numbers and you won't be able to remember any of them....

[Big_M]

Nearly phoned 999 earlier this year as 30 lads were kicking the sh1t out of each other in the road in front of our house late one night. Mr Big talked me out of it - don't get involved etc etc. It all blew over in about 20 minutes - was actually quite entertaining and I don't think anyone was seriously hurt.

[docevi1]

I tend to think 999 is for absolute emergency's so I remember the local number (0191 214 6555) which is for Northumbria Police btw and ring that if something is needed.

TOH I only know it cos I need to ring it to speak to my dad

Stefan

[rude girl]

I've rung it quite a few times to report an RTA or something fallen off a lorry on the m-way (I drive about 40k miles a year, so see a few), but never to report a scuffle or anything like that. The operators are pretty good and will usually say if something's already been reported.

[condor]

Last year ....a youth stumbled into my shop with his head bleeding. I tell him to go back to the pub and let them sort it out.

Sympathetic customers ask me to call for an ambulance. I tell them 'that's for emergencies'.

Very reluctantly I called 999...only to be told various first aid techniques No way I was doing any of that !
Fortunately the ambulance came about 10 mins later...Police too, except all of a sudden the guys stopped whimpering about this gang beating him up....and refuses to say anything.

So...another wasted Emergency call out...though I didn't really have much choice other than to call them.

[Buffalo]

Interesting this - a few months back my housemate of about 4 weeks was acting very peculiar. Disturbed, pacing up and down, not eating etc etc. His behaviour had got steadily worse in anumber of days.

My girlfriend came up for the weekend and by saturday evening was freaking her out big style (we had twice come home to see him naked in the living room in a jesus pose! )...

Anyway sunday morning i could pretty much tell that my girlfriend (after sleeping practically fully clothed) was packing up and going - she felt so uncomfortable. We had discussed the night before ringing the police, if only for them to come and have a chat to him. After all he hadn't lived in the (shared) house for very long (interestingly my other house mate is BiB but was on rest days away, i won't comment about never having a cop nearby when you need one! ) so we didn't know what to think. And were we overreacting (not knowing his background or whatever)...?

Anyway sunday morning he went nuts and in the end tried killing my girlfriend as she left the house (with me standing there too)!! I managed to get her in the car and get her out of there while i stayed and sorted him out. I later caught up with her at the bottom of the road dialling 999, scared half to death as to what happened to me - lived to tell to the tale so ok really! hew:

Anyway, the full story is so surreal its hilarious, the reason for me waffling on here, is because we were both too *scared* to ring the police on the saturday night. In hindsight it was better to ring and be told to feck off than have let it go as far as it did, and although i can laugh about the story now, it could have been much much worse an outcome and i still feel very bad about letting my girlfriend go through all of that.

So whilst i still have a respect for the 999 service, MHO is that if in doubt ring them, let them decide if it is an emergency or not. Provided you had a good reason for calling, i can't see that anyone would regard you as wasting their time!!!

[plotloss]

In the states, if you need a copper for absolutely any reason then you call 911.

Seemed odd to me.

Absolute emergency and stuff requiring immediate response ONLY IMHO.

[sheepy]

Until last year, I'd only ever called 999 once. Since then I seem to be always on the phone to them!! What with kids constantly setting bins on fire in the park behind my house, finding trees lying across the road on the way to work, a bloke stealing a hoover () from safeways, and seeing (and intervening with) a guy knocking the crap out of his girlfriend

The worst case was on the A5 where I passed a vehicle fire. The car was well alight, but the driver was trying to push the car off the carraigeway I can understand what he was trying to do, but if my car was on fire (and we're talking flames pouring out of the front, not just some smoke) I'd be running away!!

I tend to use 999 if I feel the situation requires it. Having said that, it would be nice to have a national non-emergency number for because not everything you see really needs a quick response.

Sheepy

[pbrettle]

Of course the other one, if you arent sure, is to call directory inquiries (118 xxx) and ask for the local police station. They will put you through to the local call centre for the constabulary and you will be able to talk to someone from there - if it is deemed an emergency by the operator they can place an immediate 999 call on your behalf....

However, anything that represents a danger, immediate response or a crime in progress you should call 999 - anything else then call the local station.

Used both in the past and found that calling a local station can be quite useful. My local area actually put me through to a police officer to talk through the problem and they then asked me to come and see them (which I did) - wasnt an emergency and was fine. But also called 999 in the past and reported alsorts of accidents and incidents..... Only one problem - you need to know what county you are in - if you dont know that then you can end up bouncing all over the place...!!