LESS than half of the calls made to Hampshire police in a day were genuine emergencies, a survey has revealed.

Hampshire Constabulary has said that their call handlers receive hundreds of calls each shift and only 49 per cent of calls were genuine emergencies. 

However, there are also calls made in error or for reasons that do not count as an emergency.

Between 5pm on a Saturday and 4am on a Sunday, handlers answered 714 calls via the 999 emergency number.

Of these calls, only 49 per cent, 349, were genuine emergencies.

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The remaining 51 per cent were either made in error (44 calls), confirmed as not being a new incident, for example, a general enquiry or an update to an existing report (171 calls), or were not emergencies and should have been reported online or via 101 (150 calls).

Superintendent Anna Skelton said: “By calling 999 about matters other than emergencies, these people are diverting call handlers away from those who really need help.

“It is always important that people think before they dial and only use 999 in an emergency. However, it is even more important during busy times, such as during the summer, to ensure our lines of contact are used correctly so we can be available to answer 999 calls from people who really need our help.

“The number of calls coming into the police and other agencies tend to increase over the summer months. Last summer we saw an unprecedented demand for our services at a national level and the reasons for this are really complex. But undoubtedly the fact that there are longer days, warmer weather and tourism coming into Hampshire and the Isle of Wight all play a big part."

She said that in some instances people find themselves in a situation and don’t know who to call "so just call us on 999 hoping to be pointed in the right direction" and that "on other occasions people deliberately" waste time.

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She continued: “Help us keep 999 lines clear for your emergencies. Only call 999 if there is a danger to life, a crime is happening at that time or has just happened, you have immediate concerns for safety or you see something suspicious that needs immediate attention.

“In all other situations, there are other ways to contact us either online, via 101 or report at one of our stations (station opening hours can be found on our website).”