Accidental 999 callers urged by police not to hang up

Warwickshire Police said it had seen an increase in 999 calls and hundreds were silent ones

People who dial 999 by mistake are being urged by a police force not to hang up.

Callers are being asked by Warwickshire Police to let the call handler know it was an error as every silent emergency call is followed up.

The force said it received more than 10,750 calls to 999 in June and more than a fifth - 2,181 - were silent.

“If you do dial 999 accidentally, please don’t hang up," Ch Supt Mike Smith said.

If callers stayed on the line and told operators it was a mistake it would "save them valuable time," he added.

The force said some silent calls could be made on purpose, such as when a person is subject to domestic abuse and could not speak, but that most were accidental.

There has been a sharp rise in 999 calls across the country and it is thought to be partly due to an update to Android smartphones.

The update has affected the number of silent calls to Warwickshire Police but it was "possible to dial 999 accidentally from any smartphone," Ch Supt Smith said.