Play the game - online view of how West Mercia Police handle 999 calls
West Mercia Police have released a new online game giving users an insight into its control room.
Launched on social media as a way to give the public an idea of the daily pressures on the police's control room, the game uses examples of 999 and 101 calls received by police which players must decide how to respond to against the clock.
The options are to deploy officers, resolve over the phone, refer to a partner agency or take no action.
To make it as realistic as possible, players have a limited number of officers to deploy but can win more time by making the right decisions.
Some of the real life examples used are also not emergency nor police matters – including asking for a lift, complaining about a banana-stealing housemate and a restaurant bill being too high.
Chief Inspector Gareth Morgan, of West Mercia Police, said: "We hope this game will be an interactive way for people to get an appreciation of how fast-paced our control room is and the daily pressures our staff and officers are under.
"The choices we make are not always easy but we make decisions based on the risk to the public.
"Every unnecessary call we receive places significant pressure on our resources and could lead to someone not getting the help they genuinely need.
"We hope people will enjoy playing the game and at the same time recognise when it's appropriate to dial 999, what is and isn't a police matter and which issues should be directed to our partners."
To help contact the right service first time, a number of pages and downloadable leaflets are available on West Mercia Police's website which advise who the best agency is to speak to on issues including fly-tipping, noise complaints and parking.
More information can be found at westmercia.police.uk/maketherightcall
