§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with(a) telecoms companies and (b) mobile phone manufacturers concerning the redesigning of mobile phones to make inadvertent 999 calls less likely. [10391]
§ Mr. DenhamThe Police Information Technology Organisation (PITO) and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) have been working together to address the issue of inadvertent silent 999 calls from mobile phones.
British Telecom and Cable and Wireless carry all emergency 999–112 calls. Following a successful trial with the Metropolitan police, ACPO have arranged for British Telecom and Cable and Wireless to route all silent 999 calls for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland through a switch that engages a recorded message. This message states that the emergency services have been called, but that no voice connection has been detected, and that the number "5" on the keypad should be pressed twice if the emergency services are required.
This service came into effect nationally on 1 October 2001 and will remove silent calls that were previously routed to police command and control rooms throughout the country. These accounted for approximately 20 per cent. of all 999 calls and their removal will improve the efficiency of control rooms and their ability to deal with genuine emergency calls.
880WOftel are currently working with manufacturers to improve the design of mobile phones to reduce problems. These changes should be introduced from 2003 onwards. Interim solutions are being sought from manufacturers to provide specific key protection around the "9" and "1" keys to prevent accidental activation.