Hampshire police see spike in accidental 999 calls after Android phone update

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary has reported an increase in unintentional 999 calls, following a recent Android update. The new update allows for emergency calls to be made by pressing a button on the side of the phone five times.

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Graeme Barbour from the police force has asked that anyone who makes an accidental call does not hang up.

He said: ‘You can check your emergency dial settings on most Android phones by going to 'settings' and looking for SOS settings in the options.

‘Calls to 999 where the operator cannot hear anyone on the line (silent calls) are never just ignored. Call handlers will then need to spend valuable time trying to call you back to check whether you need help.

‘If you do accidentally dial 999, please don’t hang up. If possible, please stay on the line and let the operator know it was an accident.’