Mobile Phones

Did you get a mobile phone for Christmas or perhaps you brought one for a family member?

Have you registered it with the provider?

May be you think its not worth it ? May be you think its "big brother" and refuse to provide your details?

Well perhaps you will consider this to change your mind.............

Every day thousands of 999 calls are made to the emergency services, most are genuine, some are hoax's, some are by accident when the phone is in a pocket, however a small amount are known as "dropped 999 calls" .

Dropped 999 calls are when the caller has connected to the operator, sometimes requesting a service but for what ever reason get cut off. Where no service has been requested the operator will pass the phone number to the Police who will then start to make enquiries.

1st of all several attempts will be made to call the number back, a text message may be sent but if there is no answer then a check will be made to the service provider to see if they have details of the owner of the phone. There are strict rules for the emergency services to apply for this information. So having applied for the details imagine the frustration when the answer is that its an unregistered phone, the trace goes cold.

So look at it another way, you are out walking in Durlston Country Park , slip and break your leg. You shout for help and no one comes, you reach for phone and due to the location the signal keeps being lost. You manage to dial 999 but as you get through the signal goes, the operator passes the details to the Police who despite trying can not reconnect. A trace is put on the phone and details come back thankfully to a local address. Police are sent to make enquires and your family confirm you had gone for a walk in the Durlston area, details are past to the Coastguard and a joint search is mounted and you are found quickly.

If your phone was unregistered then the trace goes cold and the emergency services have to wait until someone is reported missing, this could be several hours or days!

Mobile phones can be life savers.....make sure you register yours