Greater Manchester Police reveal baffling 999 calls
They're urging people to only call in a genuine emergency
Police in Greater Manchester are urging the public to think before dialling 999 for non-emergency matters and instead report online ahead of the bank holiday weekend.
Recently the force has seen a large increase in operational demand, which has resulted in huge rises in 999 calls. Last weekend, almost a thousand more 999 calls were made to the force, compared to the same weekend last year.
But they say too many of these calls weren't emergencies.
One call included a man dialling 999 after he had put fuel in his vehicle but did not have the means to pay as he had left his wallet at home. Others included someone ringing to report a car indicator that had been flashing for an hour with no occupant in the vehicle and also a man ringing to report a set of temporary traffic lights that weren't working.
Chief Superintendent Paul Clements, Head of GMP's Operational Communications Branch, said: "Ahead of the bank holiday weekend, I am urging Greater Manchester to only dial 999 in an emergency. We receive too many 999 calls that are not emergencies.
"Although I'm sure some of these calls were made with the best of intentions, the stark reality is that by tying up the emergency line with a non-urgent call, you could be harming our ability to answer a cry for help from somebody in desperate need or delay our response to a serious incident.
"Therefore our message this weekend is clear. If it's not 999, report it online.
"Our online reporting services are a convenient and effective way to make non-urgent reports to the police. The service can be easily accessed by visiting the GMP website and clicking on the reporting button before selecting the option you need.
"Please only call 999 if it's an emergency."
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