What Happens If You Dial 55 After Calling the Police?
In the U.K., folks can silently alert emergency products and services by texting 55 after calling 999. The U.S. has equivalent silent systems in position in some spaces.
Many people are taught from a young age that in the case of an emergency, they should call the police. However, there are some instances where you is also not able to talk to the police dispatcher after calling the emergency number. Luckily, there are some systems in place that may lend a hand you in that specific scenario, relying on the place you live.
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In the U.Ok., citizens who are experiencing an emergency scenario and who cannot discuss freely to the dispatcher (either because of damage, incapacity, or not wanting to be overheard) are encouraged to dial 55 after calling 999. But what happens if you dial 55? And what if you don’t live in the U.Ok.? Read on to find out.
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What happens if you dial 55 after calling the police?
There’s a delusion (each in the U.S. and out of the country) that if you remain silent after calling the police, officials will mechanically be sent out to check for your location. However, given the collection of silent calls won on a daily basis, that’s merely now not feasible. According to the BBC, there are approximately 20,000 silent calls made to 999 (the U.K.’s model of 911) every day. Most of the ones are both hoax calls or accidental dials, however occasionally, they’re from anyone who needs assist and can't keep in touch throughout the name.
Since 2002, a gadget known as Silent Solution has been in position in the U.Ok. It filters out hundreds of accidental and hoax calls made to 999 by leading callers thru a chain of prompts after which asking them to dial 55 to suggest they are in truth in an emergency state of affairs. If any individual dials 55, that signals the police dispatcher to ship help.
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It doesn’t paintings the similar approach in the U.S., though. If you were to dial 911 after which 55, it could no longer alert police dispatchers to your scenario. However, there are ways to silently touch the police in an emergency scenario — in certain portions of the U.S.
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In Massachusetts, practice the “Silent Call Procedure.”
Massachusetts carried out the Silent Call Procedure again in the Nineteen Nineties to be able to facilitate conversation with emergency responders when callers may no longer discuss freely on the telephone. If a dispatcher receives a silent 911 call, they will ask the caller to press a key comparable to the service they need (1 for police, 2 for hearth, Three for an ambulance). The dispatcher may also ask a chain of Yes or No questions, guiding the caller to press Four for “yes” and five for “no.”
There’s little need for Massachusetts citizens to memorize these choices — the dispatcher will verbally walk them through the procedure in the tournament of a silent call. Also, the Silent Call Procedure works with each landlines and cell phones.
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There’s additionally a Text-to-911 service available in some spaces.
Another possibility for making silent calls to the police is to simply textual content 911 somewhat than name it. If Text-to-911 is to be had for your house, then all you need to do is textual content 911 (the similar way you would textual content any other quantity) and communicate with the dispatcher that manner.
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Text-to-911 is not to be had all over the place, despite the fact that it is continuously being added in new areas throughout the country. (*55*) can obtain an inventory of all areas where Text-to-911 is available to be able to see whether your location is covered by this service.
According to the FCC, voice calls provide the maximum information to emergency dispatchers, and will have to subsequently be your first transfer whenever imaginable throughout an emergency scenario. However, if that’s now not possible, then you can use this kind of different handy strategies of communication. Stay secure available in the market, people!
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