Police urge people to programme non-urgent number 101 into their phones and keep 999 free for emergencies

A campaign urging people to programme the non-urgent police number 101 into their phones is spreading across the region.

Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Paddy Tipping has joined Derbyshire PCC Alan Charles’ campaign to ensure that call centre staff are able to answer 999 emergency calls without delay caused by non-urgent calls.

Mr Tipping said: “If everyone programmes the 101 number into their land lines and mobiles it will be easily available, reducing the temptation to call 999 and risk blocking the line.

“It’s very important to dial the right number so that there is no wastage of time when emergency 999 help is desperately needed by fearful people or when a crime is progress.

“This is a brilliant campaign built on the back of Alan Charles’ concerns that people were insufficiently familiar with the 101 number.

“It’s a simple but powerful campaign that I am delighted to support as I believe it will help to prevent vital seconds being lost by people calling 999 unnecessarily.”

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