In one of the most unusual emergency calls, a woman dialled UKs emergency number 999 to ask cops to dispose of a spider from her room.
London, August 24 : In one of the most unusual emergency calls, a woman dialled UK's emergency number 999 to ask cops to dispose of a spider from her room.
The terrified woman, who rang emergency crews asking them to come to her home and get rid of a spider, has topped a poll of 999 timewasters, released by Essex Police to mark the 70th anniversary of the 999 system.
The second spot went to an annoyed mum who called the police because her son refused to get out of bed, while the third most impressive time wasting call was a person who rang 999 to ask what the weather would be like the next day as they wanted to have a picnic.
Other examples of inappropriate 999 calls include one from a woman walking home from a night out who wanted someone to talk to, a woman who called to say her hamster was trapped behind her wardrobe, someone who was out of cash and wanted police to give a lift home, and a man ringing for advice after his wife mistakenly got on the wrong bus while out shopping.
999 emergency officers say that a stunning one in 10 emergency calls are either hoaxes or not about emergency situations. And on the eve of the 70th anniversary of the creation of the emergency call system, the county's force is calling on residents to stop misusing it.
"These calls may seem amusing but the callers are clearly misusing the 999 facility. We are using the anniversary of the system to get the message across that by making hoax calls, hanging up, or by using the service for anything other than its function holds up callers with genuine emergencies," the Daily Mail quoted Chief Inspector Nick Lee of the communications division, as saying.
"The public should only be calling 999 in emergency situations. These include where a person has been seriously hurt or about to be seriously hurt and situations which require immediate police action, fore example a crime in progress or one that has just occurred or a road crash with injuries, he added.
Police said of the more than 13,000 999 calls they received in the past year 10 per cent were not valid, adding that persistent callers who misuse the 999 system are liable to prosecution.
ANI