Police Scotland reminder to only call 999 in emergencies as peak summer period approaches

A member of the public recently phoned 999 after the bus they were waiting for drove past them without stopping, police have said.

Another person is reported to have called police to report a blaze in a field, adding they didn’t want to bother the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service with “a small fire”.

Warning against phoning the emergency line unnecessarily, Police Scotland said that doing so could “put lives at risk”.

It said that summer months see a surge in demand for emergency aid, with people travelling, large events such as music festivals taking place and a return to normal night-time economy.

In 2021, the service received 34% more calls in July in comparison to January.

“The 999 service is for emergencies and should only be used when there is a threat to life, suspicion that a crime is in progress or for any other serious incident that requires an immediate police response. Calling 999 for non-emergencies could put lives at risk,” said chief superintendent Paul Wilson.

Reminding the public that non-emergencies can be reported by phoning 101, the contact, command and control divisional commander said that a “range of incidents” can also be reported via online forms on the Police Scotland website.

He added: “People can also use the Contact Us form on the website rather than calling 101. These forms are assessed in just the same way as a call to 101 and using this form ensures callers are not kept waiting for excessive periods on the phone line during times of peak demand.”