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Q484: What do the police class as an emergency/when should I call 999?

Answer

Listed below are a few examples of emergencies when it would be necessary to call 999. This is not however an exhaustive list and common sense must prevail.

General circumstances of an incident reported to the police, when there is or likely to be:

    • danger to life
    • use, or immediate threat of use, of violence
    • Serious injury to a person and/or
    • serious damage to property

Criminal conduct

    • the crime is, or likely to be serious and in progress
    • an offender has just been disturbed at the scene
    • an offender has been detained and poses, or is likely to pose, a risk to other people

Road traffic accident

    • involves, or is likely to involve, serious personal injury
    • the road is blocked or there is a dangerous or excessive build up of traffic.

If you don't require an emergency response, you can contact your local police force via 101.

The SMS Emergency (e-SMS) service is provided for people who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired, as an alternative option for contacting an emergency 999 service. You must register your mobile phone on the e-SMS website to be able to use this text service, please see the link in related information for details on how to register.

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Answer

If an incident reported to the police requires the police to attend or if there are viable lines of enquiry, an officer will be assigned to the case and you will be given a reference number. Please make a note of this number as you will need to quote it in further communication with the police about the matter.

The way the police investigate a matter can vary depending on the nature of the crime and the unique circumstances. All reports of crime are taken seriously and investigated with impartiality.
Information of crimes and incidents reported to the police are utilised by local forces to direct their resources to help in the detection and prevention of crime.

If an incident reported to the police is deemed to have has no further lines of enquiry and they are unable to take any further action, you will be informed of this and the reasons for their decision.

When you report a crime to the police, they will automatically ask you if you would like help from Victim Support. Anyone affected by crime can contact Victim Support directly, even if you do not report the matter to the police or the police are unable to take further action. Please see Related Information for their contact details.

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Answer

The what3words system enables the emergency services to find someone more easily.

When people call 999 they often struggle to describe their location, what3words helps them say exactly where they are, saving precious response time.

How does it work?

The system works by assigning 3 distinct words for every 3 square metre grid square on a map.

You must have the what3words app on your phone (which you can download on both Android and iOS from the link in Related Information). Then in an emergency:

  • Find the 3 word address for your current location on the free what3words app. It works offline – ideal for areas with an unreliable data connection.
  • Share your 3 word address over the phone to the call handler.
  • The emergency service can then coordinate a response directly to the exact location where help is needed.

Please see the official what3words website in Related Information if you wish to know more.

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Related Information
Answer

The ranks of police officers are as follows (ending with the highest ranking):

Constable
Sergeant
Inspector
Chief Inspector
Superintendent
Chief Superintendent
Assistant Chief Constable
Deputy Chief Constable
Chief Constable

The rank system within the Metropolitan Police Service is slightly different, and is as follows (ending with the highest ranking):

Constable
Sergeant
Inspector
Chief Inspector
Superintendent
Chief Superintendent
Commander
Deputy Assistant Commissioner
Assistant Commissioner
Deputy Commissioner
Commissioner

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Answer

In the helpdesks of many police stations there is a mixture of police staff and police officers and some police stations only have police staff. Members of police staff are highly trained to deal with members of the public so they can answer any query you may have so it is not necessary to ask to speak to a police officer.

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Answer

To join the police force you need to fill in an application form supplied to you by your choice of force. The stages are carousel (a test of how you would deal with different situations), medical examination, physical assessment and interview (not necessarily in that order).

The police will carry out background checks and request references and if all these are satisfactory and you have successfully completed all the stages then you will be accepted as police constable.

Each police force recruits individually and for details on any recruitment drive you need to contact the force you are interested in joining.

For further advice on how to become a police constable see related website .

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Question

Q484: What do the police class as an emergency/when should I call 999?

Answer

Listed below are a few examples of emergencies when it would be necessary to call 999. This is not however an exhaustive list and common sense must prevail.

General circumstances of an incident reported to the police, when there is or likely to be:

    • danger to life
    • use, or immediate threat of use, of violence
    • Serious injury to a person and/or
    • serious damage to property

Criminal conduct

    • the crime is, or likely to be serious and in progress
    • an offender has just been disturbed at the scene
    • an offender has been detained and poses, or is likely to pose, a risk to other people

Road traffic accident

    • involves, or is likely to involve, serious personal injury
    • the road is blocked or there is a dangerous or excessive build up of traffic.

If you don't require an emergency response, you can contact your local police force via 101.

The SMS Emergency (e-SMS) service is provided for people who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired, as an alternative option for contacting an emergency 999 service. You must register your mobile phone on the e-SMS website to be able to use this text service, please see the link in related information for details on how to register.

 
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