Text a cop
- Thread starter jaysay
- Start date
technology is fine - if it works
modernisation is fine - if it works
progress is fine - if it works
however another hare brained scheme from the government that will not work on the back of another hare brained scheme which didn't work. methinks you need to embrace the fact that the greatest waste of government resources and taxpayers money IS THE GOVERNMENT.
It's actually three, if you count the war time coalition government as not being one of those two major parties.
I look forward to the day where I'll read anything remotely like constructive criticism of the Labour party.
In my opinion Jacqui Smiths and Hazel Blears, and quite a few of the former Blair Babes are idiots, and Bessie Bradock and Barbara Castle would wipe the floor with them.
..yes.. I will embrace that!
I know that this new service will be intended for incidents of a less serious nature, but does anyone know if there is an SMS service available for serious situations?
I was wondering about this the other day actually in one of my staring into space mind-tangents.
Can people send a text to 999 requesting police assistance if they are in immediate danger?
I'll make a 'for instance'. If a girl is being followed, she puts herself at risk by making a call, as putting the phone to her ear makes her less aware of the movements/actions of person behind her. Being able to discreetly send a text message (as most of my generation are well trained in from classroom disobedience) would solve the problem.
Sorry if this is seen as a thread wander.
I was wondering about this the other day actually in one of my staring into space mind-tangents.
Can people send a text to 999 requesting police assistance if they are in immediate danger?
I'll make a 'for instance'. If a girl is being followed, she puts herself at risk by making a call, as putting the phone to her ear makes her less aware of the movements/actions of person behind her. Being able to discreetly send a text message (as most of my generation are well trained in from classroom disobedience) would solve the problem.
Sorry if this is seen as a thread wander.
As stated previously, yes there is an emergency service that you text. Primarily used for hearing and speech impaired, but can be used in examples such as this.
Lancs Police and Fire & Rescue have this service, and it has been use, tested and proved sucessful.
I think its a cracking idea to proactively encourage community engagement. We dont kick off about initiatives using websites, and more people have access to a mobile phone that they do the internet.
If you are too stupid to be able to look up Police in the Phone book or at www.bt.com you are probably incapable of sending a text message anyway.
I wonder how much we are paying these idiots to think up these ideas. We have been reporting minor crime for years before mobile phones were even thought off.
I can't believe some people idea of non serious crime either. I was at a Neighbourhood Watch meeting the other week and they were talking about a group of youths that were fighting on a nearby street. Someone was saying the non emergency number was not being answered at Greenbank. I said that someone led on the floor with a group kicking him is a 999 call.
I have used 999 while on the motorway to report debris in the road as you don't know the local Police to phone when driving down the M6. They thanked me and said they would send a car to sort it out. When I told someone the story they thought I was wrong to phone 999 for that. the Police must have agreed with me that preventing a pile up was an emergency.
About a year a go I reported a car drifting from lane to lane on the motorway almost out of control. The driver was an elderly lady and she looked very unwell. About half an hour later the Police phoned me back to thank me for reporting it and to say she had been taken to hospital after they stopped her. That was a 999 call as well.
I can see it as a good idea for people with speech and hearing difficulties but not for everyone else. When you phone the Police they ask you questions to help them determine what they need to do. I can't seeing it being as effective as talking to a person if it is done by text with a 24 hour turnaround. Its bad enough when you get the press 1 for this and 2 for than phone lines.
When did you last phone 999 and they did not respond?
Whenever you phone the Police and it is not an emergency type call always ask for the incident number. You can then call them back later to ask how they are progressing the issue. Also if the issue occurs again, phone back and quote the same incident number. Do not let them open a new incident.
The idea of reporting a crime is for the Police to investigate and catch the criminal that stole your car. The idea is not to issue a number for your insurance company then put the phone down and flick the kettle on until they have to give someone else a number.
But how many people in that situation would remember to give all the relevant details in the first text? They then have to wait for a reply to see if the Police got it or if the text system is having a go slow.
When you phone the Police you get trained staff who will ask questions to get the right information out of you instantly. They will also advise you what to do if you think you are being followed. the fact that someone following you hears you are speaking to the Police might actually deter them from doing anything. The silent text and slow text chat between the girl and the Police would not have that effect. I think she would also get the reassurance to know that she was talking to someone who could stay on the line while the Police arrive in the same way they do when you phone an Ambulance advising you how to look after the injured person.
I am not saying text is a complete waste of time. I think having a national emergency number and a separate national non emergency number like 101 is the best way. They should have stuck with it and promoted it more. Teach it to kids in school and make it a free to call from all phones like 999 is. I had never even heard of 101 until this thread.
The thing is that the elderly, who probably need help from the police won't even have a mobile phone, when I say old I mean people in their 70s 80s an 90s. I know for a fact that if I'd have sad to my father if you have any problems text the police, he'd have thought that all my dogs weren't barking, not one for technology was my old man