Have you ever dialled 999?

Question

If so why? Was it a real life and death emergency or could it have been dealt with on a general line?

Sorry guys i am in the uk.. we dial 999 for police , ambulance and fire here.. not 911!!

Answer 1

Unfotrunatley a lot of numpty's call 999 for no good reason so bunging up the whole system for those in genuine need of assistance. I'm a police officer I see the jobs that are created.
Also a lot of twits [being polite] dail 999 for fun so sending the emergency services to absolutley nothing just to get some sick kicks.

Answer 2

Yes, when we were only around 8 years old, a friend and I dialed 999 because we saw a man creeping around a tobacconist shop in the dark with a torch. We dialed from a call box but the police took my friend's number so they could ring us back.

Later that evening the police rang my friend's dad and said what we'd done and they'd found out it was actually the owner of the shop! But said to tell us we did the right thing and should feel proud!

That was a buzz!

Answer 3

I have, each time for an emergency.
A hit and run involving a small child,
A man brandishing a gun across a hedge, at his neighbour (i presumed).
Smoke coming from a block of flats (although it turned out that was a small fire and was already under control - what I could see was steam, but I didn't know that at the time)
And whilst driving a cab I had an attempted carjacking, they ran off when they saw me on the phone and holding a tyre jack in one hand. I had called from a mobile phone, That was shortly after they had centralised the call centres, they didn't have the street name on their computer, it ended up taking 14 minutes for them to 'find me' on their system, good job the carjackers had ran off otherwise I would be dead.
Police response time was 1 hour 11 minutes!
although I would like to point out with the little lad knocked off his bike they were there in around 2 minutes, just before the ambulance.

Answer 4

i work in a busy town centre, a few times i've had to dial 999, i only do it if it's a violent situation. i was stabbed once and dialled 999, the police where there within seconds, the got the guy who did it 200 yards away. for other situations i call the station direct number, again i've always had a quick response.

Answer 5

I`m rather embarrassed to say that i have,i came home on xmas night very drunk and found my house had been burgaled and the place was a mess and i dialled 999 for the police when i could have easily have phoned my local police station but as i`d had a few drinks i couldn`t think straight and was very upset and frightened.

Answer 6

Yes I have called 911 and it was an emergency, plus the worst day of my life. My husband woke me up because my 2 month old son was not breathing, and even after the ambulance, and police got here, they were unable to save my son.

Answer 7

I did when I was younger and got a right fright when they called back and gave me a row!

A few years ago some yobs smashed my bedroom window so I phoned. I have called the general line a couple of times before to report them running around my garden but that was the final straw!

There was a fire in the field next to me last harvest so I called then too.

Thankfully though I have never had to call them in a life or death situation.

Answer 8

999? Have dialed 911 - yes, it was a real emergency.

Answer 9

Twice for road accidents. Did you know you can ring 112 in UK as well as 999.This is european number I worked in police call centre and in ten years I only took about five 112 calls.

Answer 10

yes, i dialled 999 in UK, as my house was broken into whilst i was in it. the culprit left the house with my front door key having realised i was in bed. I only dialled 999 though, having rung my sister not sure if i really could ring the number considering that i didnt believe he robbed anything.