People urged to only dial 999 in emergencies after gluttony of nuisance calls about deer, court reminders and other non-emergencies

Police call handlers receive hundreds of enquiries every day, all of which being potentially vital to saving someone’s life or stopping a dangerous scenario. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said they seeing a spike in emergency calls made in error, for updates on existing reports, or that are outright unneccessary and potentially disruptive.

The force added that examples of these non-emergency enquiries include someone asking for a wake up reminder for a court appearance and a resident reporting that they spotted a deer outside their home. Superintendent Anna Skelton, said: “By calling 999 about matters other than emergencies, these people are diverting call handlers away from those who really need help.

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“It is always important that people think before they dial and only use 999 in an emergency. However, it is even more important during busy times, such as during the summer, to ensure our lines of contact are used correctly so we can be available to answer 999 calls from people who really need our help.”

The force have provided some emergency call data over a ten hour period on a Saturday night, from 5pm, to the early hours of Sunday at 4am. Call handlers answered 714 calls, but only 49 per cent – 349 – were classed as genuine emergencies.

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Of these, 51 per cent were either made in error, 44 calls, an update on an existing report which is already being looked into, 171 calls, or those which were not emergencies and should have been reported to 101 or the police website (150). Superintendent Skelton added: “The number of calls coming in to the police and other agencies tend to increase over the summer months. Last summer we saw an unprecedented demand on our services at a national level and the reasons for this are really complex.

"But undoubtedly the fact that there are longer days, warmer weather and tourism coming into Hampshire and the Isle of Wight all play a big part.” The officer added that most 999 enquiries are genuine emergencies, but people often find themselves in a situation where they don’t know who to call, or are “deliberately wasting our time”.

She said people should only call 999 if a crime is taking place or has just happened, there is a danger to life, if you have immediate concerns for your safety, or you see something suspicious that needs immediate attention. Otherwise, calls should be made to 101, a report issued on the police website, or drop in to your local police station.