Woman calls 999 to report her cleaner not turning up for work

A woman phoned 999 to report her cleaner not turning up for work, while another called the police because there was no chicken at a food shop.

A huge number of bizarre calls have been taken by the emergency services since January 2021, prompting the Metropolitan Police to ask the public to apply some common sense.

It comes after one man called 999 demanding help changing his phone network while another reported a missing face cloth.

One woman phoned the police to ask for a vet’s number.

The Met has previously revealed that as many as 60 per cent of calls to its control room were classed as a “non-emergency”.

Call handlers received 13,905 emergency calls via the 999 number - 11,527 of these calls were not an emergency.

Chief Superintendent David Jackson said: “Our call handlers were kept minutes on the phone for non-emergency calls.

“This isn’t acceptable, these seconds and minutes are precious and could really be the difference between catching a crime in progress or very seriously, a difference between life and death.

“I say this not to dissuade you from contacting us, we are here to protect the public, however I do urge you to think before you dial.”

He said that members of the public should only call 999 if they are in danger, there is a threat to life or if they can see a crime being committed.

A Met spokesperson added: “If you wish to speak with the police and it is a non-emergency, please call 101 or report online.”

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