Police are urging the public not to dial 999 unless it is a genuine emergency and have released audio of several callers who have tied up phone lines unnecessarily.
The appeal is part of 999 Day - the ninth day of the ninth month in 2009 - to remind people that making non-emergency calls puts lives at risk.
To emphasise their plea, police have issued audio extracts from such inappropriate calls.
In one, a man in a betting shop has rung 999 because staff will not pay him his winnings.
"The woman there is being funny with me - I think it's because I'm a Scouser," he tells the the call handler.
"They say they won't pay me because I look under 18. I look 25 - I look older than 25 - and I'm 21."
One woman calls the emergency number because a car is blocking a road, adding: "It's in the middle of the road and there's no way to get round it."
Another gentleman asks to be put through to a local station because he has left his coat on a bus, while another woman tells the operator she has "no credit on her phone".
Greater Manchester Police also want to stress the importance of providing 999 handlers with as much information as possible when it is a real emergency.
Those at the other end of the line have to establish what has happened in a split second - and calls are more often than not taken in stressful moments.
These details help to provide the best response to the emergency.
In a scenario where someone is having a heart attack, the 999 operator can help a caller administer chest compressions until an ambulance arrives - giving the victim a greater chance of survival.
: : In a non-emergency Greater Manchester Police asks people to ring 0161 872 5050. The Met Police requests the public call 0300 123 1212 in non-emergency situations.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20090908/...b-45dbed5.html
Originally Posted by joebloggs
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hour and a quarter to go yet ...
