To coincide with the launch of Dyfed Powys Police's new single telephone number to deal with all non- emergency calls, the force has revealed some of the unusual calls received in its communication centre over the past six months. The new, easy to remember number - 0845 330 2000 -replaces the 43 different police station numbers that were previously used to deal with non-emergency calls and will provide a more efficient service to the public. The 24-hour number will make it easier for people to contact the police for general enquiries, advice and information or to report an incident or crime that has already taken place and is no longer urgent. Chief Inspector Iain Sewell said: "Our aim is to make it easy for people to contact us. But some calls never cease to amaze our trained telephone operators. We wish to be helpful but while requests for directions, bin bags or weather reports may sound amusing, there is a serious implication when it stops our staff dealing with matters of real concern, real emergencies where a life could be in danger. "I hope people will store the new telephone number and use it for non-emergency calls in the future; calls which report an incident or crime that has already taken place and is no longer urgent; calls about cases or for information that are police matters. The sort of calls that do not help the public or the police are contained in this top 10." 1. Two young embarrassed children: "Can you send the police up here. Mum and Dad went out and we found some handcuffs in their bedroom and put them on and now we're stuck together and don't have a key. Come quick, they'll be home soon." 2. A woman rang up screaming that she'd been to her local supermarket and bought bananas. When she got them home, she said a tarantula had crawled out of them and was on her kitchen floor. She wanted the police. It turned out that it was a leaf from the garden. 3. "My husband's late home from work. Where is he?" (a call like this could be important... but this was just a personal moan) 4. "What's the weather like in Carmarthen. There's snow in Brecon." 5. A school rang up to say there was a pigeon in the building and they wanted the police to get it out. 6. A man rang to say that he had received an electricity bill, but had already paid it - he wanted the police's help. It turned out he had changed supplier so had two bills. 7. "Get the police now, there's a peacock on my lawn." 8. Man: "My next door neighbour is in my garden"; Police: "Have you asked him what he's doing?"; Man: "No. Get the police straight away" (turns out he was gardening). 9. "I've lost my snake in the house." 10. A teenager rang to say he missed the bus home from school and wanted a lift from the police as his dad couldn't pick him up. Chief Inspector Iain Sewell added: "People perceive the police as a service to the community - a one- stop shop for advice on all kinds of things. Many like the fact that they can speak to real people and not the automated service which many companies provide. "Although we are here to help and treat all calls the same, it is important that people do not abuse the telephone line and use it only for the correct purposes. Ask yourself "Is this really a police matter or should I look elsewhere for this call?." Dyfed Powys Police also expects the new number to improve the number of calls answered from the public and reduce delays. Having calls answered centrally by trained staff will increase the time that police officers are able to spend in the public eye. The new number is also expected to ease the strain on its 999 service. Only one in five calls last year was a real emergency with people dialling 999 to report non-urgent matters such as lost property and even using the service to request traffic and weather reports. The 0845 330 2000 number will reduce the thousands of non-emergency calls made to the 999 number in Dyfed Powys each year, freeing up operators to deal with real emergencies.
