- 19/09/2018
- Posted by: Hillingdon Labour
- Category: News
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People witnessing or being on the receiving end of a criminal act may find themselves in a position where they need to call the police – but making any noise at all could put their own life in danger. Hillingdon Labour are reminding residents that there is a way that they can still call the police without needing to make a sound.
Once connected through to the operator, residents should dial ’55’ instead of remaining silent as the police will not automatically investigate silence. Dialling ’55’ will prompt the operator to put the call through to the police, where they can then try to determine any further information such as your location – although this may take some time if it’s from a mobile phone.
Dialling ’55’ once connected to an operator is an initiative by the Home Office designed for incidents such as domestic violence, called ‘Silent Solutions’.
Speaking on behalf of the Hillingdon Labour Group, Cllr Janet Gardner said:
“It is important that vulnerable people in particular are aware that they can call the police even if they cannot make a sound when doing so – this initiative can save lives.“Victims of all types of abuse can benefit from this, but it needs to be spread much further to raise awareness. Tell your family and friends about it – you never know when someone might find themselves in danger.”
