23 June 2023 , 12:08
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Metropolitan Police officials have appealed to Londoners to avoid calling 999 unless to notify officers of a genuine emergency after receiving a call from a street in the north of the city from a distressed local who thought they were being followed by a cat.
Chief Superintendent Dan Ivey tweeted: “Can’t quite believe I’m typing this but I’ve just been told one of our most recent calls on 999 was someone reporting being followed down the road by a cat.
“Yes A CAT. I had to listen to the call myself to believe it.”
Chief Supt Ivey told MyLondon that the person rang from Finchley, North London, and “was suggesting the cat had been following them ‘for some time’ down the road and didn’t belong to them.”
Chief Supt Ivey also told LBC that “we have people phoning up on the 999 system to order pizza”.
Faces of the children killed in horror dog attacks in UK since 2020
A spokesperson for the Met added: “Hoax calls, non-emergencies and pocket dials inflict a surge of 999 calls.
“Think before you dial, Only call 999 if a crime is in progress, an immediate danger or threat to life.
“Otherwise call 101 or contact us online http://met.police.uk By using the correct reporting method, you could be saving someone’s life.”