Cambridgeshire Police warning over hoax 999 calls - after one caller phones after stubbing toe, and child requests burger to be delivered to 10 Downing Street

Cambridgeshire Police have issued another warning over hoax 999 calls after receiving a number over the weekend.

Police said the 13 hoax calls received last weekend included a man reporting that he stubbed his toe, a child requesting a burger be delivered to 10 Downing Street, and a call from a group of drunk people.

A spokesperson for the force said: “Hoax calls take up call handlers’ valuable time and could get in the way of a genuine emergency call.”

When to call 999:

Cambridgeshire Police have issued guidance as to when to call 999.

They said:

As a general rule, 999 should be used:

– when someone is in immediate danger,

– if the crime is still in progress,

– you need police help immediately,

– if property is in danger of being damaged or

– a serious disruption to the public is likely.

For crimes that aren't urgent, please avoid calling 999. We also ask that you refrain from calling the emergency line back to ask for updates on previous calls.

When you call 999 to report a crime / incident, our call handlers will assess the risk, harm and threat of the call and dispatch officers to you. The time that officers will get to you will depend on the seriousness of the situation at hand, and the grade given by the call handler and dispatcher in our Demand Hub.

If you need immediate police assistance but you can't speak freely, learn more about Silent 999 calls.

British Sign Language (BSL) users can use our video relay service where an interpreter will help you report a crime to us.