West Yorkshire Police warning after 999 call over unpaid wages

BBC West Yorkshire Police call handling centreBBC
West Yorkshire Police's two call centres receive about 1,300 999 calls every day

West Yorkshire Police has issued a warning about misusing the 999 number after a woman called to complain about not receiving her wages.

The caller said her employer had not paid her for the last two weeks.

An operator told the woman it was not a police matter and to contact her union or HR department about it.

In a Twitter post, the force said it received an average of 120 calls a day to its emergency number which were "not a life or death emergency".

It added that such calls "could prevent someone in a genuine emergency receiving the support they need".

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Last year, the force revealed that other 999 calls it had received included a woman sitting near a crying baby on a bus and a man frustrated with his flight being cancelled.

Emergency operators also receive about 200 accidental 999 calls every day, with many phones being inadvertently pocket dialled or from children playing on their parents' phones.

About 1,300 calls are received each day to the two emergency contact centres in Wakefield and Bradford.

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