Caller dials 999 to ask Warwickshire Police for a lift to collect their keys

A caller dialed 999 to ask Warwickshire Police for a lift to collect their keys after they had been drinking.
File photo.File photo.
File photo.

Warwickshire Police Operations & Communications Centre took to Twitter on December 31 to share the ridiculous call.

They stated the caller said: "I went out last night and left my car there as I had been drinking.

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"I left my house key in the car - can you pick me up to go back to my car and collect key as I can't get a taxi or Uber?"

Twitter users voiced their annoyance, with one writing: "Are people really this stupid?"

The call comes after Warwickshire Police launched a game shortly before Christmas to attempt to raise awareness around unnecessary 999 calls.

The game uses examples of genuine 999 and 101 calls received by police which players must decide how to respond to against the clock.

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The options are to deploy officers, resolve over the phone, refer to a partner agency or take no action.

Called #MakeTheRightCall, the game gives players a limited number of officers to deploy to calls.

Some of the real life examples used in the calls are not an emergency or a police matter - including asking for a lift, complaining about a banana-stealing housemate and a restaurant bill being too high.

Click here to play the game.

Chief Inspector Gareth Morgan, who is head of the force's control room, said: "We hope this game will be an interactive way for people to get an appreciation of how fast-paced our control room is and the daily pressures our staff and officers are under.

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"The choices we make are not always easy but we make decisions based on the risk to the public. Every unnecessary call we receive places significant pressure on our resources and could lead to someone not getting the help they genuinely need.

"We hope people will enjoy playing the game and at the same time recognise when it's appropriate to dial 999, what is and isn't a police matter and which issues should be directed to our partners."

Should I call 999 or 101?

Police said you should call 999 if you are in immediate danger or need to report a crime or incident that requires an emergency response.

You can call 101 to report a crime that has already happened, talk with police about an ongoing case or let the force know about policing issues in the area.