Police plea to end inappropriate 999 calls

One caller said: "My cat has got into my neighbour's property and they aren't home."

A police force has urged people to use 999 responsibly after receiving calls about parcels, pets, and road diversions.

Staffordshire Police said it was receiving a large number of "inappropriate" calls which were not genuine emergencies, such as a man calling about a parcel he was unable to collect.

"It is a waste of police time and could delay our response in getting to people who desperately need our help," a spokesperson for the force said.

In another call, a person said: "My cat has got into my neighbour's property and they aren't home."

The force said other recent calls they had received included the following:

• A letting agent reporting that a dog was in the garden of one of their properties

• Reporting an animal carcass found on the side of the road

• A sink hole appearing in someone's garden

• Complaining that a road diversion was not suitable

A spokesperson for Staffordshire Police said that calls of this nature were far from isolated occurrences.

However, they said they did not want to discourage people from calling 999 in genuine emergencies.

Ch Supt Paul Talbot, who oversees the force's contact centre, said: "The first point of contact between a victim and the police is paramount to everything we do, and that’s why we’ve invested so much time and effort into improving our contact centre.

"Unfortunately, some people abuse this vital line of communication, by either intentionally or unintentionally calling us about matters that have nothing to do with the police."

The force experienced record-breaking 999 demand in 2023, taking 1,000 calls on Saturday 9 September, which the force described as "staggering".

In the same week, the force said it exceeded the demand expected on New Year's Eve on four separate occasions, making it one of the busiest weeks in its history.

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) rated Staffordshire Police as "inadequate" in its ability to respond to the public, in a report published in September 2022.

However, in December 2023, HMICFRS discharged this area of concern after identifying improvements including clear governance in the force's contact centre.