By Allan Preston
Revealed 15/04/2016
Toothaches, lifts for canine, bus timetable inquiries and telephone recommendation are amongst a number of the ’emergencies’ that folks in Northern Eire have been dialling 999 for.
The PSNI has revealed an inventory of probably the most trivial calls to the emergency response line as a warning towards clogging up the system for real lifesaving calls.
19 March – do police know if Ulsterbus service from Greystone Street into Antrim is working at the moment? #notpolicing not#KeepingPeopleSafe
— PSNI (@PoliceServiceNI) April 14, 2016
thirteen March – caller states he had horrible toothache, needed police to return and pull his tooth out #notpolicing not#KeepingPeopleSafe
— PSNI (@PoliceServiceNI) April 14, 2016
12 March – caller stories neighbour has been stung by unknown insect. Suggested to get medical recommendation #notpolicing
— PSNI (@PoliceServiceNI) April 14, 2016
9 March – 999 caller requested police to taxi ex-girlfriend to her house – taxi firm wouldn’t take her canine #notpolicing not#KeepingPeopleSafe
— PSNI (@PoliceServiceNI) April 14, 2016
28 Feb – 999 caller – thought might reconnect telephone with service supplier by ringing 999 – not the case. #notpolicing not#KeepingPeopleSafe
— PSNI (@PoliceServiceNI) April 14, 2016
Posting on the PSNI’s Twitter account, a number of the worst offenders included a caller who requested: “Do police know if Ulsterbus service from Greystone Street into Antrim is working at present?”
The PSNI stated one other caller said he had “horrible toothache – he needed police to return and pull his tooth out”.
One deluded 999 caller even requested police to drive his ex-girlfriend house – as a result of the taxi firm she ordered had refused to take her canine.
In one other wildlife-associated non-occasion, police stated the “caller stories neighbour has been stung by unknown insect.
“Suggested to get medical recommendation,” was the ’emergency’ response.
Clearly battling telephone etiquette, emergency line operators have been left exasperated when one particular person thought they “might reconnect telephone with service supplier by ringing 999 – not the case”.
Chief Superintendent Peter Farrar from the PSNI stated there was a critical aspect to the humorous public consciousness marketing campaign on social media.
He stated individuals wanted to “assume very rigorously about what and who they require earlier than losing the already closely burdened time of the emergency providers”.
He stated: “All calls to an emergency service have to be prioritised as and once they are available, and vital assets are spent coping with such alerts to make sure public security.
“Time spent coping with hoax or nuisance callers can forestall police, and different emergency providers from reaching individuals needing quick help, finally placing lives in peril.”
The senior officer reminded anybody nonetheless confused that the non-emergency quantity for anybody wishing to contact the police was one hundred and one.