From out-of-date biscuits to too many saveloys: Police reveal worst time-wasting 999 calls

One caller asks force for the time

The Metropolitan Police have revealed their strangest 999 calls – including ones about chippy orders and old biscuits – as they reminded people to only use the number in case of an emergency.

Another caller asked the emergency services control room for the time, according to audio released by the force.

“Not only did these calls waste police time and resources, they also potentially put Londoners at risk in what could be a life or death situation,” the Met Police said.

In the audio, one person is heard complaining that they had been given three saveloys with their chips when they had only ordered one.

Another said: “The biscuits were out of date.”

“Although these calls can be perceived as amusing, they are actually a huge waste of the Met’s resources,” said Chief Superintendent David Jackson, who is in charge of call handling.

“These hoax calls block the number from other members of the public who could be calling 999 in a real emergency, keeping people in danger waiting for longer and putting lives at risk.”

He appealed for people to use other channels to contact police if their case is not an emergency, including the Met’s website and Twitter, or by phoning 101, the police's non-emergency number.

Over 25,000 hoax calls were received by the Met’s Command and Control call centre between 1 January and 30 November 2019, the force said.

Other forces have also revealed their oddest 999 calls in order to remind people to not use the emergency line lightly.

Last week, police said they had received an emergency call from someone asking where to buy brussels sprouts.

North Wales Police issued a warning that such calls waste police resources, as they revealed 999 has also been used to complain about sheep in a yard and a mobile phone top-up card refund.

A woman was prosecuted earlier this year after making hundreds of hoax 999 calls over two weeks because she was “bored”.

Additional reporting by Press Association