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Monday, September 15, 2008

999 abuse must stop!

I've often been left aghast at the ridiculous reasons for which people dial 999. For non-UK readers, 999 is our 911 or 112 number. It should only be used in emergencies. According to an article I've just read, a woman in Scotland called the police on the 999 number, to complain that she had been sold a rabbit with non-floppy ears, when it was advertised as a floppy-eared animal. Did this ridiculous woman not realize that her silly complaint could have stopped someone with a genuine emergency from getting help? Yet another woman in Scotland called 999 to complain that someone had driven through a puddle and splashed her. When told that her complaint did not warrant an emergency call, she became verbally abusive.

Police have received calls for assistance via 999, by people complaining about spiders in their baths, taps that won't turn off, someone finding a stain on their shirt that required a special remover, and a householder with rats in their kitchen. Other ridiculous 'emergency' calls to the police include a woman reporting an injured pigeon, a man complaining that his wife had gone out without leaving him any dinner, a man complaining about his bus not turning up, and a woman calling to complain that the squirrel in her garden could not access any hazel trees.

What is wrong with these people? I think it's time grown adults were fined for abusing the 999 system. It horrifies me to think what could happen in a genuine emergency, if someone was unable to summon help, just because some idiot had dialled 999 to ask the police to remove a spider from their bath. There, rant over!

2 comments:

Dragonstar said...

Rant away Siani! The stupid, almost criminal, self-absorption of some people is (nearly) beyond belief!

jams o donnell said...

What sort of F**kwits dial 999 for some of the reasons given. Idiots

 
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