The police are pleading for people to stop making unnecessary 999 calls, with a list of time-wasting examples including a person asking for the weather forecast.
North Wales Police have publicly posted a series of inappropriate calls received on the emergency line.
One of those was of a person who dialled 999 to ask emergency responders for the weather forecast.
The caller in question had rung Mountain Rescue – which provides casualty care and crisis response – to see what the weather would be like before a hike.
Tourists on top of Snowdon. Credit: Flickr
They were planning a trip up Snowdon, a popular beauty spot and hiking destination for those living in the north west.
ADVERTISEMENT
The person claimed they couldn’t find an appropriate phone number to check the forecast.
The responder who answered the call told him: “Mountain Rescue wouldn’t be able to give you that [information] anyway. They’re a rescue.
ADVERTISEMENT
“This isn’t a reason to call 999 either.”
Other examples released by the police as part of their #ReduceDemand campaign include a person who had chipped a tooth, and another who was running low on diesel and didn’t know where the nearest petrol station was.
One caller was worried about how drunk their friend was.
ADVERTISEMENT
Superintendent Mark Williams said: “Each unnecessary call to us reduces time available for calls which are for genuine policing matters. It is also a waste of operators’ time and clogs up the pressured 999 system.
“Phoning 999 – which is an emergency line, for trivial matters such as to report a car with no wing mirror or to report last glasses is a complete waste of resources, and could possibly prevent a genuine life or death emergency call being put through.
“Other examples have included a 999 call being made due to someone not remembering their combination code to get into a safe.
“Calling 999 because of concern regarding a drunk friend is not a matter for the police. Although the person who rang us had genuine concern for their friend, we are unable to provide a taxi service to get people home safe.”
ADVERTISEMENT
You should generally only call 999 for the police if a life is in danger or someone is being physically threatened, or if you are witnessing a crime happening at the time, or think the offenders are still nearby.
Or if you witness or are involved in a serious road traffic collision where someone is badly injured, or other vehicles are causing an obstruction or a danger to other road users.
Otherwise, the 101 number deals with non-emergencies.
Featured image: Wikimedia Commons
UK News
Remarkable Lake District rescue of dog missing for THREE WEEKS
Daisy Jackson
A dog who was missing for almost three WEEEKS in the Lake District has, miraculously, been rescued.
Little Teddy went missing on 2 August, disappearing from his owner on Helvellyn.
Volunteers from Keswick Mountain Rescue Team spent the following weeks searching for the scrappy dog, with one eventually hearing him barking from Dry Gill.
The poor dog had got stuck in the gill in a dangerous location that required a full team of seven to bring him to safety.
Remarkably, Teddy appeared to be uninjured, though he had lost quite a bit of weight after three weeks living wild on the fell.
His rescuers gave him a small amount of food before securing him in a rucksack and carrying him back to Swirls car park.
The whole rescue took around three and a half hours, when Teddy was reunited with his very relieved owner and taken to the vets.
Teddy making his way down from HelvellynTeddy the dog was part of a rescue mission in the Lake DistrictTeddy was rescued after three weeks missingCredit: Keswick Mountain Rescue
Keswick Mountain Rescue said: “The team are absolutely delighted to share this update, as the news of this missing dog had deeply affected so many people across our local community.
“A remarkable outcome after nearly three weeks on Helvellyn, and a huge well done to everyone who kept searching and never gave up on Teddy.”
The mountain rescue team is funded entirely through donations – you can use ‘Buy me a coffee’ to make a small donation HERE, or donate the normal way HERE.
Elbow get behind campaign to save Jodrell Bank from closure
Danny Jones
Manc band Elbow are among the latest to get behind the campaign to save Jodrell Bank Observatory from closing permanently.
The Greater Manchester natives famously played a sold-out gig at the important scientific and cultural landmark for a very special live album recording well over a decade ago, and know all too well the site’s national and, indeed, global heritage.
Choosing the Observatory and the rare chance to perform a show in the shadow of the world-renowned James Lovell Telescope, it probably remains one of their most significant standalone UK date ever.
With that in mind, the local lads have been left just as worried by the news of its impending closure as everyone else, and have therefore issued a fresh appeal to help keep it open.
Posting a timely statement on social media, the group wrote: “Jodrell Bank has long been close to elbow’s heart. In 2012, the band played beneath the Lovell Telescope for one of the most memorable shows in our history.
“The recent news that funding for the e-MERLIN radio telescope network is set to end in 2028 puts the future of the scientific work at Jodrell Bank under serious threat. It is a remarkable place, with an extraordinary history, and one that continues to play an important role in science, culture and education.”
In addition to reliving clips and images from the historic live set all the years later, they also pointed people towards their ‘elbow – Live at Jodrell Bank‘ album documentary, which has now been made available online for the very first time as part of wider efforts to raise awareness around the cause.
Directing people to key online resources shared by the institution and astrophysics centre itself following their unfortunate update late last month, the push to not only find the funding but sustain support for the facility continues to ramp up throughout the world of science, arts and industry.
For anyone who somehow missed the news – 2028 being the current deadline handed down as per budget cuts across the sector – concerned parties here in the North West and all over the country have since started petitioning to save Jodrell Bank Observatory from shutting down for good.
In addition to being described as a “huge blow” to the field by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), some have even gone so far as to describe the decision as a form of “vandalism” when it comes to research and British culture as a whole.
Having also served as the host venue for the annual bluedot Festival since 2016, the multi-genre science and arts celebration could soon be forced to find a new home.
The battle is far from over yet, and the community has time to rescue Jodrell Bank Observatory from its fate, but it will take lots of money and more notable public figures to make it happen.
Once again, you can do your bit by signing the petition mentioned above right HERE.
Daisy Jackson -
4th January 2022 
