• Is a Jaffa Cake a cake or a biscuit?
• I'm stuck in my jacket. Can police come cut me out of it? 
• Can police give me a lift to the hospital for my appointment?

These are some of the inappropriate calls that call takers at the Suffolk Constabulary Contact and Control Room (CCR) have highlighted as those that stand out in their memory.

Like many emergency services nationwide, Suffolk police receives its share of inappropriate, and sometimes bizarre, calls to its 999-emergency line.

In the last 12 months, there has been a 14% increase in 999 calls handled by the CCR compared with the previous year and the current projection for the whole of 2023 is estimating a potential 40% increase in calls compared with two years ago.

The CCR receives approximately 400 calls to the 999-emergency line every day and as the summer holidays approach, these could easily exceed 500 daily calls. In a bid to encourage people to think before they call and consider other means to contact emergency services, Suffolk police is sharing examples of recent inappropriate 999 calls.

Chief Inspector Shawn Wakeling said: "We know that inappropriate calls are not always made deliberately. Often, they are made by people in a panic who don't know what to do in the moment; or innocently by those with good intentions, telling us something they think we should know, but which do not always meet the emergency threshold to be called in on 999. 

"We are releasing the details of some inappropriate calls, not to deter the public from calling us, but to give them a real understanding of the most common calls that should not be coming in on the emergency line.

"Of course, there are some who call the emergency line who do not need the police at all and have made the call with blatant misuse and disregard. There is a serious side to calling 999 inappropriately. It potentially puts lives at risk by taking a call handler's time away from a genuine emergency where there is threat to life or a crime in progress.\

"Each call that comes in is carefully assessed by our call takers and this can take several minutes to ensure the correct response is given. For those waiting with a genuine emergency, those minutes could feel like a very long time to wait.

"Before calling 999, I urge people to ask themselves – is someone's life in danger, or am I reporting a crime that is happening in the moment? If the answer isn't yes to either of those questions, they should be looking at alternative contact methods.

"We are also working hard to improve waiting times for 101 calls that do not require an emergency response. The public can assist with this by utilising the online methods to contact us."

Non-urgent crimes can be reported online via the Suffolk police website, which include reporting forms for incidents of anti-social behaviour, criminal damage, theft and road traffic collisions. 

For general enquiries, advice and guidance, members of the public can contact police on weekdays between 9am and 5pm via Live Chat.

Chief Inspector Wakeling added: "Our Live Chat operators are real people – they are not a 'bot' – and they have received the same training as our call takers. They can answer general enquiries, provide updates to your existing reported incident and help you navigate our website. The service provides a communication channel for those who are hearing impaired and it also automatically translates 100 languages, which assists people who are less comfortable communicating in English."

So far this year, Live Chat has already helped over 3,700 members of the public with queries, information and answers to non-urgent questions. These are potentially questions that could have tied up the phone lines.

If you accidentally call 999, whether that's a misdial or a pocket dial, please do not hang up. Calls to the emergency line are dealt with as an emergency which means call takers will spend time in trying to identify you, contact you and locate you to ensure there isn't an urgent situation. This may lead to officers being deployed unnecessarily.

Recent Examples of Typical Inappropriate 999 Calls Received:

• To ask if they can have a BBQ in Christchurch Park
• To ask what they have been charged with after losing paperwork
• To ask for help to get into their house after being locked out
• To ask for medical assistance when unable to find resolution via 111
• To ask for details on someone in custody
• To report an abandoned vehicle that has been there for several days
• To ask for an incident number for a crime they previously reported
• To ask for assistance in looking after a pet after its owner was taken to hospital
• To report an abandoned vehicle that is off road/not blocking a road
• To ask for help in civil matters (on this occasion, reporting a discrepancy with a retailer on a kitchen appliance that was not installed)
• To ask for advice regarding power of attorney 
• To ask for a lift to a hospital appointment
• To report a non-recent collision
• To report a medical incident after already calling an ambulance where no crime had occurred

Police and Crime Commissioner Tim Passmore said, "It is really important people realise that every inappropriate call made to the Constabulary's control room by dialling 999 is a potential delay for a genuine and urgent call for assistance.   

"Our control room staff deal with life and death emergencies on a daily basis and in these situations, every second counts.   

"We all need to understand when to dial 999 and when to use the non-emergency 101 number, the Live Chat service or the website, it's also important that we know who to contact for help – remember, it won't always be the police. There's useful guidance on the Constabulary website and I would encourage people to have a look.

"We have made significant investment in the control room over the past few years to improve public access and meet the increasing demand. This additional funding, which comes from the council tax precept, is making a difference and I will continue to monitor this progress."