To ask how the police got my details?

[DailyFailGoAway]

NC for this one.

Recently reported a local concerning incident to Police. I wasn't asked for my contact details and didn't offer them.

I have since had a message from them, on my home ex-directory number, and giving my full name.

I had used that phone to ring them, but it is permanently set to withhold my number in outgoing calls.

How did they get my withheld, ex-directory number, my name, (and presumably my address)?!

I'm not a criminal and I'm not needed as a witness, (message said they don't need to speak to me, it was just a courtesy call).

I do prefer to keep my contact details private and in these days of data protection laws and breaches of privacy and data, it does feel a bit like Big Brother is watching me. Any thoughts on how and why they got all my details, and whether they should be able to?

Thanks for all the replies, particularly the informative ones but even the incredulous OP's a snowflake ones!

My favourite so far has to be BuggerBugger - thanks for the belly laugh!

No time-wasting Tinkobel - honest, Guv!

If you phone 999 your details are automatically passed from your phone company. If you phone 101 and you've called from the number previously then the system automatically populates your details onto the new call you're placing.

Just waiting for another message from them now: 'We know you're talking about us on bloody mumsnet!'

@DailyFailGoAway

That would be MI5.

If you stop and think, of course 999 has an exemption to number withheld...

Imagine the coroner's inquest:

Police officer: The 999 operator informed us that the call cut off after "Help! They're in my house! Help! Argggh, thud"
Coroner: Why did you not proceed immediately to the property?
Police officer: The number was ex-directory
Coroner: At what stage did you proceed to the property?
Police officer: When the neighbours complained about the smell.
Coroner: What did you discover at the scene?
Police officer: The householder appeared to have survived the initial attack, as they attempted to drag themselves back towards the phone.
Home office pathologist: The initial injuries were probably survivable, but the individual succumbed to blood loss.

Think it through...

Fintress the same thing happened to me! I thought that someone had died and they said “you called us”. I bloody didn’t, I was fast asleep

Just so you know there are ways of seeing withheld numbers. Where I work if a call comes in anonymous we just have to press a button to reveal the number

You can’t withhold your number to the police!

A few years ago my ex went missing and the police tracked me down via the electoral register to ask me if id heard from him and to call 999 if I did (he’s not a nice person they were concerned for our safety). They said that was how anyway. I don’t have a
Criminal record and had never reported a crime myself to them. Thank god they can track people down like that imo.

I've always seen the necessity of being able to override caller withheld in extreme circumstances, but thanks for the examples above, many given in great humour! What I didn't know without your help was that it is apparently done routinely on every 999 call and possibly on 101 calls too. That's the bit I struggle with, that it doesn't appear a good reason is needed. I'm not a hermit by any means, (not yet, anyway), but by choice and to some degree necessity I am quite a private person, and I hadn't expected an unsolicited call from the police on my home phone. I completely take the point that it was probably well intentioned however, in order to provide follow-up, reassurance and closure.

I didn't need reassurance as the concern was for 2 vulnerable people nearby, rather than for me and my family. The incident wasn't happening at my home/on that number and I had quickly been able to give a clear location and details.

Just in case anyone mistakes this for a police-bashing post, it's really not. At my age, (!), I've got a pretty balanced view - the great, the good, the mediocre, the ugly - and see them as an essential service here in the UK.

On this occasion I couldn't fault them. The incident was happening at that very moment, potentially serious and about to escalate, and I made the decision it was necessary to call 999. They were great with me on the phone, definitely made me feel like I'd done the right thing, and kept me on the line to provide ongoing information. The police arrived quite quickly and in number. Soon afterwards, unbeknown to me, another similar and indeed more serious incident occurred which is possibly linked, and I'm told that the police's response was equally good.

My only issue is them knowing my name and number without being given it, and I did wonder both 'What witchcraft is this?!' and 'Are we living in a police state?!'.

I'm not generally, but call me a naive snowflake on this occasion if you must, I can take it.

I remember a few years ago, we were house and pet sitting for a friend, when the DCs were much younger. When my back was very briefly turned, DC1 dialed 999, quick as a flash. I was in the same room luckily and dashed over to grab the phone. I was extremely apologetic to the call handler, explained what had happened, and she was very understanding. Basically DC1 was a huge Fireman Sam fan at the time!

I mentioned it to a friend, who said the police always go round to check in this kind of situation - where a 999 call was intercepted and stopped by another person - in case someone had been prevented from calling for help. We never received a visit or follow up call. The call handler had just seemed satisfied with my explanation.

Hearing from PPs above who thought people were always asked for contact details, we weren't on that occasion either. The one other time I remember I've called to report something, again a few years ago, I was asked for contact details but said I'd prefer not to give them, and the call handler was fine with that. I can only think that different areas have different procedures.

Or more likely they already had access to my details, whether I knew it or not....