'Postathon' of 999 calls shows 'reality' of policing

A police force has published a minute-by-minute log of 999 calls made to its control room

A police control room received 20 "silent" 999 calls during a five-hour period, data released by one force showed.

Cambridgeshire Police has published a log of 999 calls its control room received between 16:00 BST and 21:00 on Friday.

The force, which has posted the log on its website, said it wanted to "demonstrate the reality" of police work.

One caller told police his "Amazon parcel has gone missing", another said an ex-partner was "outside their house with petrol cans" and one call reported a man "dancing" on a motorway.

Data showed the control room received around 180 calls during the five-hour period.

Twenty calls were "silent" - five of those were thought to be "pocket" calls.

Several reported incidents of violence, and there were several calls about "domestic" incidents and motoring issues.

Fights, walking and a motorway dancer.

• The first call, a minute after 16:00 BST, was logged as: "Caller phoned 999 but was overheard saying ‘you’re phoning the police’. Call back reveals caller does not need the police"

• Call number two, a minute later, was logged as: "Two female students having a fight outside school in Peterborough"

• At 16:07 BST: Elderly couple walking along the A1123 with no path

• At 16:14 BST: "Call from petrol garage in Arrington reporting a man throwing water at windows and staff"

• At 16:34 BST: "A man in a live lane of the motorway dancing"

• At 17:22 BST: "A silent 999 call, we’re going to call back as it sounded like someone was saying 'help'"

• At 18:27 BST: Two reports of a "a nine-person brawl in Peterborough over a parking dispute... one person seen with a knife"

• A 18:32pm: "Caller reports his Amazon parcel has gone missing. Said they had an empty box with no item inside. Advised to call 101"

• At 19:29 BST: "Caller reporting that an ex-partner is outside their house with petrol cans"

Cambridgeshire Police said it had organised the "postathon" to "demonstrate the reality of the demand" on officers.

A website statement added: "It is hoped that this postathon will provide an insight into the volume, variety and complexity of calls and incidents that staff must be equipped to deal with."