Shropshire Star

Remember, 999 is strictly for emergencies

I’m a huge fan of social media, it’s changed the way we communicate, connect with others and can help build communities. It can help us keep in touch and stay informed, and it allows us to let more of you know what we’re doing. We all have a preference whether it is Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or such like, for me it's Twitter and you can follow me @CSuptKevPurcell to find out more about my role as a senior police officer, I also offer some snippets into my home life.

Published
Kevin Purcell

This isn’t the reason why I want to talk about social media though, I want to talk about the downside it can have, and the demand it is putting on police with an increasing number of calls made to us about comments on social media. I’m sure most social media users will have at some point received a negative comment that may have been hurtful. I certainly know I’ve received messages that haven’t been particularly pleasant to read and have left quite a sour note. I would never condone this and do not think it is acceptable, we should all try to be nicer to each other and as the old saying goes ‘if you haven’t got anything nice to say then don’t say anything at all’.

But, what we do have to remember is that just because something isn’t nice it doesn’t mean it is a crime. Yes, some comments are considered a criminal offence, where a credible threat is made to someone’s life or a comment aims to incite racial hatred or is classed as a hate crime and where it falls under this category we will take action against those responsible.

Unfortunately, however, the majority that are reported to us don’t fall under this category – if you don’t like the messages you are seeing then simply block that person and you don’t have to see their messages, or if you’re really concerned about the content report them to the social media platform. On average West Mercia Police receives more than 1,500 calls to 999 or 101 each day with our busiest period during the summer as the nights get lighter and the weather gets warmer. We want to be able to respond to those people who really do need us in an emergency so taking a moment to consider whether you really need to contact police can help make all the different. Times of when to call 999 include if there is a threat or danger to life, a crime is ongoing or has just happened, you see suspicious behaviour which requires immediate attention, you have immediate concerns for someone’s safety or there is a dangerous incident on a road. If it is less urgent, for example a crime that has already happened or you want to speak to police about an on-going case or policing issues in your local area you can ring 101 or try going online. Our website www.westmercia.pnn.police.uk has a wealth of advice and information, local news and updates for your area. You can also report a non-emergency crime online. It can be easy to dial 999 by mistake and we know some people panic and hang up but we would ask that if you or a child has dialled 999 by mistake please don’t panic and hang up but stay on the line and speak to the operator. You can then tell them it was a mistake and they will understand.

This is much more effective than hanging up as if you hang up we will try and contact you back by telephone, or if we can’t get hold off you but can locate where the call was made may send a police officer, to check you are ok. Many of the calls we receive are not just not emergencies but they aren’t even police matters, and while we do pride ourselves in being helpful it is not always the best use of our resources. We know it can be confusing so to make things a bit simpler we have lots of information and advice on our website about a range of matters, such as parking, dog fouling, neighbour/civil disputes and fly-tipping. The information will help guide you on what to do and who the best person to speak to is.

It’s time for the school summer holidays, a great time for children who I’ve no doubt will be looking forward to an extended break. If you’ve got children make sure you know where they are and what they’re doing when they’re out and make sure they know what’s acceptable behaviour and what’s not but also remember it’s a two way street, kids being kids isn’t necessary anti-social behaviour. Help us help you by keeping our 999 lines free for emergencies.