Callers are then led through a series of prompts and asked to press 55 to confirm there is a genuine emergency. How the Silent Solution* system works: A silent 999 call alone will not automatically bring help. In 2001, Silent Solutions was set up to deal with the ‘possibility of it being a genuine caller who cannot speak’. 47,000 of those press '55' to indicate help needed. If making a sound would put you or someone else in danger and the BT operator cannot decide whether an emergency service is needed, your call will be transferred to the Silent Solution system. “Unbeknown to Kerry, this was fiction and nobody came…… a short while after the call, she was strangled.”. How should we use Silent Solutions? Around 50 emergency calls from mobiles a day are transferred by a BT operator to police forces in the UK as a result of someone having pressed 55 when prompted, enabling the police to carry out urgent enquiries to respond. The system is called Silent Solutions and has been in place since 2002, but the new campaign wants to raise awareness of how to use it properly so that real emergency calls can be distinguished from prank 999 callers, of which there are thousands every day. As 55 was not pressed, the call was terminated and Devon and Cornwall Police were not notified of Kerry’s call. The 911 Silent Call Procedure, which many state residents were unaware had been implemented back in the 1990s, was created to facilitate communication with emergency responders by … It is a vital additional layer of protection that as solicitors we all need to make sure our clients are aware of, particularly during the lockdown. Escape key not available with JavaScript disabled The system has been in operation since 2002 but police … This will inform the system that the call is a real emergency and the Police will be dispatched. I'd never heard of "silent solutions" before. “We found from our investigation into police contact with Kerry that there is a lack of public awareness of the Silent Solution system and are keen to share this important information as widely as possible. Unfortunately this was all brought to an end by the brutal actions of her ex-partner in December 2013. An automated voice asks the caller to press 55 if they need police assistance. The Silent Solution system of pressing 55 after dialling 999 (Image: IOPC) How the Silent Solution works. She had made a silent 999 call but did not respond to the BT operator and so was transferred to Silent Solution. Silent Solution 55 – Emergency Situation If you are ever in an emergency situation and need police help but can't speak, after dialing 999, press 55 for … It's where someone who feels at threat, makes a silent 999 call and then acknowledges their presence by a cough or murmur, then keys 55 and leaves the line open so it can be traced. It's where someone who feels at threat, makes a silent 999 call and then acknowledges their presence by a cough or murmur, then keys 55 and leaves the line open so it can be traced. I'd like to manage the cookies, Quickly exit this site by pressing the Escape key, Escape key not available with JavaScript disabled, Breach of coronavirus (Covid-19) measures, How to tell us about possible terrorist activity, How to tell us about something you've seen or heard, Firearm, shotgun or explosives certificate, Information: about the police, about yourself or someone else. The so-called "silent solution" protocol for calls to the emergency services should be reviewed following the murder of a primary school worker … Kerry’s family said: “Happy, fun-loving and considerate are all words you could use to describe Kerry, however the one thing everybody would mention first would be that she was the consummate mum. Unfortunately help did not come for this poor woman because she didn't key 55 so the emergency operator disconnected her. If you suspect it, report it. Our advice to keep you and your belongings safe, Advice on how to drive safely, whatever the conditions may be, Protect yourself and your family whilst working and playing online, Take security measures to protect your home and possessions, Crime reduction measures to help protect your business and premises, Protecting yourself, your friends, your family and business from fraudsters, Keep safe whilst living in, travelling and visiting our rural areas, Who to contact to ensure your community event runs safely, Staying safe when you are working as a sex worker, Help us to protect the youngest in our society. Silent solution Hundreds of thousands of silent 999 calls are made each year and police have been using the “silent solution” protocol for 15 years to help operators filter out accidental calls. If at this point the operator still doesn't hear a response from What happens when you ring the police and say nothing.For more information please visit www.dc.police.uk/silent-999 In that instance, the victim was informed about the option to make a silent 999 call, but not advised on further steps. The system filters out thousands of accidental or hoax silent 999 calls made daily. There may be a situation where someone needs help during an emergency but is unable to talk because of an abuser being in close proximity. Find out all the different services we offer online. In some cases, the conversation is led by the caller, who sometimes tries and speaks to the police call handlers in code, if for example the perpetrator has reappeared. In a routine emergency call, the operator will ask which of the services you need once you … It could, in extreme situations, potentially save a life. “The national ‘silent solutions’ system enables people to contact the emergency services without speaking by detecting background noise and prompting the caller to press ‘55’ if they want to be directed to police.