To ask why you've phoned the police?

[oneskip]

It's given as advice on here all the time but who has ever dialled 999 and was it for something major?

I've called for football fans fighting and letting off flares at cars, so genuine emergency.

Yes I’ve called for a brawl in the street and also when there were intruders on a neighbours drive

I’ve also called 101 for a herd of escaped cows causing an obstruction in a country lane in the dark.

A couple of times: when a man was breaking into cars in the car park of our old flat with a small hatchet, once for a domestic disturbance when a man was aggressively shouting to be let in (middle of the night) and his female partner wasn't letting him in, more recently in our current house after seeing men trying doors of the garages at the back of our property. Only a handful of times in over 20 years...

A few years ago I saw a man shouting aggressively at a woman in the street (persistently). I called the police because I was worried for her safety. They said they’d send someone. I wish I’d been brave enough to actually intervene, but I wasn’t.

Once when I was living in a shared house and the lady in the room next door was having a domestic with her boyfriend.

I called when house opposite of mine had someone in with flashlight at 1am. I heard noise, saw someone walking into garden via side gate in a dark then flashlight inside. Electricity worked because outside light was on. Turns out it was a bit odd neighbour who lived there, we were new and didn't know yet...

I called them when a woman was running up the street at 5am screaming for help (DV).

On the motorway we saw someone driving a car with a completely smashed in windscreen, no license plate and veering everywhere. Took over 7 minutes on hold (to 999!) to speak to an operater and by that point all I could tell them was the junction he'd got off at.

Drug dealing and taking in my street. Called police and they caught them red handed.
Neighbours having massive drunken argument around 1am and kids in the house and sat in front garden. Police came and calmed the situation.
I wouldn’t hesitate especially with children if I was worried. Police reports get copied to schools that children attend so I think it’s really useful thing for schools to be informed of extreme difficulties at home especially if parents (and children) are masking problems.
Awful but essential.

Fighting on the street, a couple of scary times were people have had broken bottles
And then another time when I heard my neighbour screaming and fighting with her boyfriend

I called when my baby choked some food and went blue and floppy in my arms. Ambulance arrived 5 mins later. Fortunately during that time I managed to remember what I’d learnt on a first aid course and dislodged it myself so he was ok.

Another time I called as 2 men were having a fight outside my house. One of them was holding a massive knife and the other one smashed him over the head with a vodka bottle! 😱

I'm pretty old, and I've never called 999, for any service.

I've called whenever I've seen a crime in progress (including overhearing domestic violence, concerns over child welfare, breaking and entering, assault, drug misuse is a kids playground) or used online reporting tools for such things as antisocial behaviour or motoring offences.

Saw someone in the process of stealing a car.

Terrorist incident in Paris, aggressively dangerous driving on the autoroute de l’est, arson at a ruined building just behind our house, antisocial behaviour outside our gate, someone parked across our gate, blocking us in.

When a man followed me home off the bus, early hours of the morning.

When a car drove in to us at a roundabout, reversed at speed, hit another car and then drove off at ridiculous speed. Figured the chance of it being stolen or causing a major collision was pretty high!

Driving behind a car which was being driven very dangerously, looked like the driver was drunk or having a medical episode.

Once when I found a toddler riding his trike on the road with no adult around. Police came.
Once when men were on our drive trying to steal a car/car parts. Men left during the call so police came to us the next day.

Teens setting off fireworks into a main road at cars and at me & my 4 month old baby in a pram.

When my ex landlord forgot he'd moved out and rented his house to me and came "home" drunk, I didn't know it was my landlord just knew there was a man in the house and so confused to this day why he had his key to the house I rented off him but not his own house key and had previously made advances towards me that were rejected I already found him creepy.

Driving home from working in a pub about 1am at a junction heard an almighty bang turned my head to the left a front room of a house in flames and masked men running off they had petrol bombed the house.

I've only ever called 999 for an ambulance.

I've called the non-emergency police a couple of times for hit and runs.

I called the non emergency line when some teens were doing graffiti on a wall opposite. The call handler said it was a crime in action, so I should have called 999.

Another time called them when we returned home to find our front window smashed by a large rock. They didn't notice we have security cameras!

In London, we used to park on the road and saw the side car window was smashed and a black glove had been left inside. Police weren't interested, didn't want the glove for DNA etc.

Called 999 ambulance when my neighbour had had a stroke

When my stalker broke into my house at 1am.

We got back from an evening out. There was a quiet call from another flat. All we got was a quiet cry for help. I stayed by the door OH went and called the police (before mobile phones). The police came and broke in. An elderly neighbour had fallen over and pulled a bookcase over on herself. She was unconscious by then. The ambulance came and took her away.

About a week later her son stopped by and thanked us. She didn't come home but went to monitored housing.

A fight on the street outside our house - someone was smashing someone's head on the floor.

At a client's house and abusive ex turned up.

Driving past a transit van on fire on the hard shoulder of the M6 and seeing two guys trying to empty it rather than get to safety.

Seeing a car spin on the M74 in heavy rain. (Guy uninjured, we stopped and DH helped him push the car onto the hard shoulder.)

Called the non-emergency number several times to report teenagers messing about on the roof of the school next door.

Once when I was walking past a house where I could hear a man shouting at a woman very aggressively and it sounded like he was pushing her around. He also slammed the window shut despite it being a hot day. I hope she was okay, the Police were on their way when I left (they told me I didn’t need to wait around).