Dial 55 to let the police know you're in danger

What should you do if you're in need of urgent help, but unable to speak?Many people call 999 and stay quiet, for fear of being found or heard, in the hope that the police might come.But according to The Independent, the police can't always respond to silent 999 calls.In a routine procedure, the operator will ask which of the services you need once you have called 999. If you stay silent, the operator will then ask you to cough or make any sound without speaking to alert them of an emergency situation.But, in some cases, making any sound at all can put you more at risk, for example it could alert a potential attacker to your exact whereabouts or escalate a dangerous situation like domestic violence or burglary.This is where the Silent Solutions system comes in.In situations where you are unable to speak or make a noise, the caller should simply dial 55 and follow instructions.<img alt="dialling" class="ci-image ci-original" src="https://ui3.assets-asda.com/dm/dialling_GL?scl=1">Through this 'silent' system, you won't need to make a sound to alert the police of an emergency.After you dial 999 and you&rsquo;ve been unable to audibly signal to the operator, your call will be forwarded to an operating system.If you&rsquo;re in danger, dial 55 otherwise the call will be terminated.A police spokesman said: ‘Please do not think that just because you dial 999 that police will attend.‘We totally understand that sometimes people are unable or too afraid to talk, however it must be clear that we will not routinely attend a silent 999 call.‘There must be some indication that the call has not been mis-dialled.&rsquo;Emergency services simply don&rsquo;t have the resources to investigate every call made to 999 during which no sound is made, as often they are prank calls, or people who have just accidentally pocket-dialled.Increasing the public's awareness of this silent 55 option will help the services save more lives, so let's help spread the word!

Here’s what to do if you're too scared to speak during a 999 call

By Asda Good Living,16th January 2017

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