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Keep 999 calls free - deter the idiots this way....

4th Jan 2013
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A canny Scottish copper has sugegsted a premium rate charge for 999 calls and walked into a storm of potest. Whether or not it would deter idiots but at the same time prevent genuine calls is a moot point. Personally I don't imagine somebody would skimp on 50p if they had a real emergency. How many times a week does one dial 999 ??? I run a mobile homewatch scheme and even then I probably only resort to it half a dozen times a year .

Because the premium rate idea is so controversial we should instead levy a fixed penalty on people abusing the system , say £10 .With the exception of a call box you can trace the phone oweer quite easily. It is so simple it's brilliant.....

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By taylorag
04th Jan 2013 19:18

What about PAYG?

My contract phone was PAYG in the early days and was given as a present.  A lot of them get stolen or passed on as presents.  Sadly, I think the whole thing is a can of worms that's best left shut.

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By arnold28
09th Jan 2013 13:23

We pay to call 101

We are urged to call the new 101 number and incur a (small) fee instead of the free 999 option.

Surely if 999 is under strain the way to encourage more calls to 101 would be to make it free?

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Replying to Duggimon:
Norman Younger
By Norman Younger
11th Jan 2013 09:08

101 or 999

People need to understand that 999 is for emergencies where life or property is in immediate threat and 101 for a less pressing matter.The idiots who call to say the cat has a headache or the loo roll is the wrong pattern should be calling neither number . If we had a system of penalty charges but with a right of appeal , like parkign tickets, people would think twice. Of course many calls are from mobiles that may be PAYG but many are not , and I suspect many callers with stupid requests are inebriated. We are not a nation of unlimited resources and people have to get their head round that

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By Mature Student
11th Jan 2013 14:41

Oh, can we please have a system like parking tickets and can I p-l-e-a-s-e be on the appeal panel.

What fun when they turn up to fight their case and then I play their call followed by another one (names bleeped out) of a real emergency. Then ask them again what their emergency was and are they still disputing the fee ... Followed by pointing them in the direction of the penalties payment desk.

 

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Norman Younger
By Norman Younger
14th Jan 2013 09:11

Exactly my point

You've got it !  Which real emergency / near emergency will be afraid of appealing and  having

their call replayed. And jut imagine the list of examples that will be set out so people know in advance that a loss of loo paper doesn't count.

The more I think about it the better I think the idea is .......honestly

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