If you call 999 from a mobile phone ...

[MrsSpenserGregson]

What information comes up on the call handler's screen?

Last night I watched a BRILLIANT Danish film called The Guilty (you must watch it!!) in which the emergency call handler's screen displayed the name, address, mobile number and landline of the person calling (they were calling from a mobile phone).

Do call handlers in the UK get all this information? Whenever I've had to dial 999 (thankfully not very often) it has taken ages to give my name and address, especially since my surname is very unusual and requires spelling phonetically. Surely if it was already on the screen the call handler would recognise it?

I've googled and I can see that this information is available in the Netherlands but I can't find anything which says it's available in the UK ....

That app what three words seems dodgy to me, why does it need access to my Google account?

Thank you evilkitten
Not sure why some paramedics tell people to dial 112 as I also believe there is no difference whatever number they dial
Exactly the same information comes up to the emergency operator screen whichever number is dialled
I think it’s probably a case of one person saying it and passing it in and then others believe it to be true

Landline calls have all the information and the emergency services have the same name and address information too

Just to add a point, if you’re going to make any sort of joke bomb threat from your house phone please remember this. I took a call once from a group of lads in Liverpool who were larking about and made the call then put the phone down. The emergency operator can ‘hold the line’ so the call stays connected to them. All such calls are automatically reported by the emergency operator and police will attend, the lads in Liverpool would not admit who had made the call so they were all arrested. It was at a time when there was a lot of trouble and things going on and the police simply took them all into custody

No they don’t and usually films have artistic license to help the storyline.

It's different in Scandinavia so unlikely to have been artistic license, more likely a reflection of reality. I'm in Sweden and just put my phone number into google. Up popped my name, address, date of birth, age, place of work and the full names of everyone else who lives at this address. And a picture of house. It's a bit scary really.

The 999/911/112 digits you dial are translated to 'emergency call' by your handset. The only reason I can see for encouraging the use of 112 over 999 is that if you have a non-UK 'grey market' device, then it might not recognise 999 as an emergency number … in which case the call wouldn't be prioritised on the air interface. That's not as much a problem as it used to be though.

The 112 stuff is bollocks and often propagated by people who should know better (I too have been told this on a first aid course).

There is no difference in the way the numbers are handled.

I often have to phone 999 for my mum and have asked before if they can see where I am , they’ve said they can’t , no way of knowing beyond searching the address I give them ...

I remember when they shut local ish call centres in Scotland there was a worry as often town names on a map have no resemblance to what locals will say eg Fogie in place of Aberchirder , Geery for Garioch, Broch for Fraserburgh ... someone in Glasgow won’t necessarily have a clue where those places are and someone who’s elderly or confused won’t necessarily be able to explain clearly !