[kellyhound]

Emergency calls – including one from a Gloucestershire man who panicked and dialled 999 when a cat wandered into his home – have been criticised by the police.

Other people called the emergency number because their neighbours were playing loud music, or because they were arguing over who should do the washing up.

The incidents were among more than 4,500 eccentric emergency calls received by Gloucestershire Police this year, according to figures released under the Freedom of Information Act.

Officers say those responsible for the nuisance calls – many making them deliberately rather than because of a lack of knowledge – could have been putting lives at risk by diverting police away from real emergencies.

The time-wasters have been warned that they face legal action or having their telephones disconnected if they persist.

Inspector Andy Poole said: "With more than 4,500 such calls this year alone, the delay this is causing in getting the emergency services to real incidents is a real problem.

"Quite often, 999 calls are not malicious but down to a lack of knowledge of how to get hold of the emergency services routinely."

Dumbfounded response operators at the police told the man who called 999 after the cat marched into his kitchen to pick it up and remove it from the house.

He was also warned the situation was not an emergency and he could risk being charged for wasting police time.

Other nuisance callers include a man who dialled 999 because he could not find his pet and a teenager who got into an argument with his parents because he was unhappy with the way they had redecorated his room.

When a 999 operator received a call only to hear a man and woman arguing down the line, officers attended the property to discover they were disagreeing over who should do the washing up.

Of the calls clearly made deliberately, one man rang 999 and falsely claimed he had tried to burn down a pub, later admitting he was just "messing around".

Another call simply consisted of 45 seconds of loud screeching down the phone.

Insp Poole added: "The 999 system is for emergencies only.

"If a crime or an incident that is no longer in progress is to be reported, then 0845 090 1234 should be the number used to contact us.

"If callers repeatedly misuse the 999 system, they will be pursued for the offence and their telephone providers approached to disconnect their lines."

[Sharon]

What IDIOTS!!!!

[Faline]

[sickwithwords]

Lmao. In America they would've humored the person and sent someone to take the cat out. British dispatchers are all buisness haha

[ROFLsauce]

in soviet russia Cat picks you up and kicks you out.

[Bastet]

You don't need to play THAT safe! However, the emergency calls made only for the caller's amusement are absolutely stupid and I don't find anything humorous in them.

[kungfu]

[Shelbeano ^-^]

Where I'm at, they've started adds on TV and billboards to let people know, emergency lines are for EMERGENCIES.

[RUTHIE7]

Black cats scare the fuck out of AFRICANS ...(Anyone from the southern regions)

I know...

Hahahahahhaaaa!!!!

[SimoneFlen']

We've had a shit ton of random cats come into our house over the years. We just leave them to it, they can wonder around as much as they like + for as long as they like. We're massive cat lovers so we're more than happy with it!

Though, we don't get any come in now since we took in a cat that was living in our garden back in May. Though her rival, who used to come in regularly for a few years, comes in occasionally to antagonise her, so I have to shoo 'Bitch Cat' (as I named her upon our first encounter back in 2014 - she certainly lives up to her name!) out.

My beautiful Lenore:


Here's evil Bitch Cat squaring up to her. Lenore's too scared to do anything so we always have to come to her rescue!



Edit: I've just seen that this is a 9 year old thread that the previous poster had bumped up!