If you needed to call the police without saying a word, would you know how?
A new national campaign hopes to raise awareness of the little-known system which helps people let police know they are in imminent danger and could save lives.
The Silent Solution system enables a 999 mobile caller, who is too scared to make a noise or speak, to press 55 when prompted and inform police they are in a genuine emergency.
It was a system that might have saved the life of Kerry Power, from Plymouth, who was murdered in her own home in December 2013.
But Power, 36, wasn’t fully aware of the system when, early in the morning, her ex-partner and stalker David Wilder broke in. When she called the police but did not respond to the BT operator’s instructions, her call was transferred to the Silent Solution system. But because 55 was not pressed, the call was terminated and local police were not notified of Power’s call.
Later that morning, Wilder called police to report he had fatally strangled her.
Power’s family said: “Although she was not able to speak for the fear of alerting the intruder to her actions, she followed the advice given by a police officer during an earlier visit; that she could call and not speak, as the police held her details they would be alerted and attend.”
The family claim Power had not been not told to press 55. An investigation could not conclusively identify the wording the officer used when advising Kerry about emergency calls, however the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it was clear she did not know she needed to press 55.
To coincide with National Stalking Awareness Week (8-12 April), the IOPC has launched its ‘Make Yourself Heard’ campaign with support from Power’s family, Women’s Aid and Welsh Women’s Aid, and the National Police Chiefs’ Council.
“For survivors of domestic abuse calling the police might be too dangerous,” explained Lisa Johnson from Women’s Aid. “Many abusers will threaten to hurt or even kill them if they try to speak out about the abuse. This means that for far too long many women have not been able to access the emergency support they so desperately need from the police.”
The campaign aims to educate the public on how to make a silent call.
How To Make A Silent Emergency Call
“It’s always best to speak to a police call handler if you can, even if by whispering,” said IOPC Regional Director Catrin Evans
“But if you are putting yourself or someone else in danger by making a sound, there is something you can do. Make yourself heard by coughing, tapping the handset or – once prompted by the automated system – by pressing 55.”
Evans added: “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. It could potentially save a life.
Myth-Busting
The police service receives 12 million 999 calls each year. Police will not automatically attend if you make a silent 999 call. Callers need to listen and respond to questions and instructions, including by coughing or tapping the handset if possible – or if using a mobile phone, once prompted by the automated Silent Solution system, pressing 55.
The system filters out thousands of accidental or hoax silent 999 calls made daily. 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.