Police staggered after person calls 999 to say they are being followed by a cat

23 June 2023, 10:17

Police have been left staggered after a person called 999 because they were being followed by a cat.

They reported the feline stalker to the emergency services - wasting valuable time.

The Metropolitan Police's Chief Superintendent Dan Ivey said: "Can't quite believe I'm typing this but I've just been told one of our most recent calls on 9️99 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."

The Met has published time-wasting calls in a bid to get people to stop using up call-handlers' resources with pointless conversations.

A few years ago, the Met did a round up of some of the 2 million calls it received in a year and described some that did not need an emergency response.

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Among them were a report of out of date biscuits, an extra saveloy and chips and a request for the time.

The Met carried out a "think before you dial" campaign and warned it puts people's live in danger.

Ch Supt David Jackson, who was in charge of call handling for the Met, said: "Although these calls can be perceived as amusing, they are actually a huge waste of the Met’s resources.

"These hoax calls block the number from other members of the public who could be calling 999 in a real emergency, keeping people in danger waiting for longer and putting lives at risk."