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[Lizzie_Zoom]

so what would happen if you on payg phone run out of credit and can't ring police. are we supposed to stand watching old lady getting mugged?
or scratch around at a phone box for change

but I see where it's coming from if it creates a better service

That was my initial feeling as well Ian.

What a daft and ludicrous change this would be!!

[Lizzie_Zoom]

And since when did the police service (kent)employ the service of a customer service manager? ffs when i dail 999 cos my neighbours house is being broken into i want a plod either walking/biking/driving or even flying i am not fussed...what i dont want is a customer (when did i become a customer???) service manager ringing me up saying 'oh we cant come for another hour'...they soon got their sorry arses up here when i said don't wory 5 of us will sort it and hand them over to you when you ordane to turn up....i had 2 cars and a rowdy wagon with 2 minutes

now what was the customer service bod saying about not being able to turn up?

You would be surprised TAM as to the number of civilians there are behind the scenes in Kent Police, and no doubt other forces.  Even on the custody suite desks you can have a civilian undertaking the admin duties.  Throughout training there are civilians, albeit some ex-job, and in administration roles, such as in "customer care" where they certainly operate on a regular basis.

The whole aim is to keep full police officers out on the streets tackling their duties, although still a great deal of time is used up in filling in forms and writing statements. Two or even three hours of any shift can be used for that purpose, although some of that can go on after an officers shift, into overtime.

[tigers_gonads]

Which pleb  thought of this 
Picture this ..................... Walking down the street .................... you see a crime being committed ................... life is in danger ............. you have NO MOBILE PHONE ............. you see a phone box (that works  ) ............... you pick up the reciever and dial 999 .............. the screen says 50 pence please ................. you have no money SO THE PERSON DIES 

Total 'dangle berries' imo 

[05omegav6]

The trouble is, what do you call.

We had an incident recently where some 'youths' had construted a 1.5m high wall across the railway line (no mortar). The train crew did an emergency stop and hence avoided hitting it (thankfuly).

Had it been one of the 1500+ ton gypsum trains then things may have been different!

So a call to the Police (not 999).

First the transport Police - not interested as not part of the rail netwrok (it is as goods trains use the line)

Next Leicestershire Police - not interested as the main centre is in Nottinghamshire

Finaly Nottinghamshire Police - not interested as the incident occured in Leaicestershire.

You couldn't make it up and consequently we are having to go to the compliants commission to even get the incident registered!

Makes you wonder what would have happened from a response point of view if the train had hit the obstruction

Fwiw, the 101 number seems to work ok here aboots. You can tell if the operator is having 'one of those days' though.

[GastronomicKleptomaniac]

...they soon got their sorry arses up here when i said don't wory 5 of us will sort it and hand them over to you when you ordane to turn up....i had 2 cars and a rowdy wagon with 2 minutes

now what was the customer service bod saying about not being able to turn up?

Calls are graded. Unless you expect the call taker to magic some more police officers from a box under the desk, an assault with injury is going to rank higher than a simple burglary. Equally, now you've got the response you wanted, someone else is further down the list and waiting longer.

 The police service is far too top heavy (notice how the car park at the local nick fills up about half eight on Monday and empties at half four on Friday...) - but unless we get more police officers on the beat, and less paper weight (see what I did there) around their necks, someone is going to suffer the effects. In many places, they already are.

Some will point out that the number of police officers has increased in the last 100 years, but so has both crime*, and the amount of hoops to be jumped through when dealing with them. Does anyone actually want police officers sitting in an office for hours filing reports for fairly minor criminal damage and verbal abuse incidents, as opposed to a ten-minute handover to the custody Sgt and back out on the street? Has anyone asked us?

*naturally, some would look at the statistics and say that police officers are in fact causing crime...

[Sir Tigger KC]

I've used the 101 number a couple of times and found it to be quite efficient.  I was even put through to a plod at my localish station on one occasion.    However both times I used the number it was just an enquiry and not urgent. 

[omegod]

I always call the main merseyside switchboard for non emergency stuff and it works a treat, through to the local nick if I ask for it.  I have a few senior officers mobiles should I ever need it though 

[hercules]

i think if theyre trying to cut down on hoax calls and unneccesary calls then the call should remain free  to allow for genuine but any timewasters should be billed a certain amount

[Marks DTM Calib]

As for the question of cost, it should be a no charge call (its not free as we already pay for the cost via taxes in the same way as the NHS is not free).

Bottom line is idiots are idiots and adding a cost will make little difference

[PhilRich]

As for the question of cost, it should be a no charge call (its not free as we already pay for the cost via taxes in the same way as the NHS is not free).

Bottom line is idiots are idiots and adding a cost will make little difference

[/highlight]




In a Nutshell!

[dad1uk]

The last time I called an Ambulance via the 999 system I was connected to a very pleasant lady in Scotland.
I was in a country lane - name unknown
outside a church - she couldn't track it down via the name

If I had spoken to a local person the ambulance would have been there in about 5 mins.

Instead 15 mins later the ambulance crew phoned to get the location.
I mentioned the church and he said ok I know where that is.

QED!