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Met Police plea to only call 999 for genuine emergencies

London, UKLocal News

The Metropolitan Police revealed that only 15% of 999 calls were genuine emergencies over the last year. Non-urgent calls included reports about spiders in homes and dogs not returning, which wasted critical call handling resources. Between July 2024 and July 2025, the police received 1. 87 million calls, many of which diverted attention from real emergencies. Commander Caroline Haines stated that time is crucial when lives are at stake.

The police urged the public to reserve 999 for situations involving immediate danger or crimes in progress. Other matters should be reported through the 101 non-emergency number. This initiative aims to improve response times for actual emergencies. The Metropolitan Police's plea highlights ongoing concerns about public misuse of emergency services.

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