A fifth of 999 calls to Wiltshire Police are silent 

Police in Wiltshire have revealed how many 999 calls they get per week, and how many of those are silent.

The force shared that during the first week of September, they received 2,772 calls to 999. Out of these, 602 were silent - that’s 21.7% of calls. 

Wiltshire Police are asking people not to hang up if they’ve called by accident. 

A force spokesperson said: “We won’t be cross as ultimately you will be saving busy operators the time taken to check back on an abandoned call. Time that could be spent dealing with genuine emergencies.

“You may have pocket dialled in error if you haven’t updated the software on your Android phone recently or just called by mistake.

"Whatever the reason, please stay on the line and let us know you are fine.”

Many smart phones allow for emergency 999 call access even when the screen is locked and can therefore be dialled accidentally.

A new feature on some Android phones also means people are calling 999 accidentally. The 'Emergency SOS' feature calls 999 when a side button is pressed repeatedly.

Google, which makes the most widely used Android phone software, said manufacturers are addressing the problem.

If a call is abandoned - you hang up when you realise you've made the accidental call - then the operator needs to call back to make sure you’re alright.

The force said this wastes more time, that could be used for genuine emergencies so instead you should tell them you are alright.

If you call 999 and can’t speak, then dial 55 to be put through to the local police force.