United Kingdom – Texting on your mobile could soon be the quickest way to call for police help.
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The Government has given the go-ahead for a new 999 text-messaging emergency line which will work in tandem with the traditional call centre.
Soon typing in text speak “hlp 5-o sum1 hs brokN n2 my hous” – ‘Help police, someone has broken into my house’ – should summon an emergency response.
Or sending “fyr my hous S burnin dwn” – text lingo for “Fire! My house is burning down” – will despatch the fire brigade or “i tnk i’m havN a heartattack” could see an ambulance swiftly sent to a stricken patient.
For the first time the system will allow everyone to contact the emergency operator on their mobile phone without speaking.
It will also allow 999 operators to pinpoint the caller’s location from the signals sent by people’s mobile phones – potentially cutting bogus calls. [dailymail]
wont that make false alarms really rampant? Every teenager can now start texting in false alarms on their cellphones…