A man called 999 to complain about a 30-minute wait for pizza - while another called the emergency number to ask police the time.
Both incidents happened yesterday, with the first made by a disgruntled customer in a pizza shop. They have prompted a warning from police to use the 999 service appropriately.
Throughout Friday, Essex Police dealt with over 480 calls to 101 and 987 calls to 999, with 230 graded as an emergency.
Following these incidents, chief superintendent Stuart Hooper, Essex Police’s head of contact management, said: “I’d like to thank those people who contacted us yesterday through the channel that was most appropriate for their call.
“By doing so, you are freeing up our call handlers so that they can provide an almost instant response for people who find themselves in a real emergency and need to dial 999.
“Calling 999 must be a last resort and you should only use this service if you are reporting an emergency that requires an immediate and urgent police response.”
The force are also reminding people to consider the following before dialling 999:
- Is this a police issue or another service better suited?
- Is the information already on police websites?
- If a crime has already been committed, can it can be reported online instead?
- Do you want to share some information or speak to someone specific? (call 101)
- Is it an emergency Is a crime happing right now, or is life or property at risk?
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