EMERGENCY INFORMATION

Apart from phoning 101 or 999 the following page will have some useful information to decide what action to take.

EMERGENCY NUMBER INFORMATION

999, 111, 101, 112? Emergency Numbers You Should Know

999 – The main emergency number

This is the emergency number for police, ambulance, fire brigade, coastguard, cliff rescue, mountain rescue, cave rescue, etc. Note the important word ‘EMERGENCY’. This number should be used only when urgent attendance by the emergency services is required – for example someone is seriously ill or injured, or a crime is in progress.  Calls are free, and 999 can be dialled from a locked mobile phone.

111 – The non-emergency medical number

This is available nationwide and replaced and expanded on the former NHS Direct service. Use this for illnesses and minor injuries where life isn’t threatened, but you would like some advice on what to do next.  Calls are free.

112 – Another emergency number

This operates exactly the same as 999 and directs you to exactly the same emergency call centre. The important thing about 112 is that it will work on a mobile phone anywhere in the world. So on your next foreign holiday, you don’t need to make a note of the emergency number for the country you visit; you just need 112.  In the UK, 112 also works on landline phones,  Calls are free and 112 can also be dialled from a locked mobile phone.

101 – The non-emergency number for the police

Use 101 when you want to contact the police, but it’s not an emergency – i.e. an immediate response is not necessary and/or will not be serve any purpose.  For example, your car has been stolen, your property has been damaged, your home has been broken into.  A general rule is “if the crime is not currently in progress, use 101.”  Yes, we would love an immediate response, but the police have to concentrate their emergency resources on where the criminals are now, not where they were two hours ago.

101 can also be used to give information about a crime committed, or to contact the police with a general enquiry.

What if I need multiple emergency services?

If you need more than one emergency service, you only have to call one – and ask them to contact the others (they may ask you “do you require other services” and, depending on the incident, other services may be sent anyway)