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Text messaging could soon be the new way to call 999
Last updated at 22:07pm on 16.06.07Texting on your mobile could soon be the quickest way to call for police help.
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.
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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.
Is this a gimmick or a good idea? Join the text-speak debate at Reader Comments below
Until now a text message emergency line has been available only for the deaf who can relay messages through a special operator.
Users with specially adapted text phones have to call a separate number where an operator translates their incoming distress call in real time for the emergency services.
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But the Government's 999 Liaison Committee is now setting up a trial scheme that will allow the services to receive SMS - "Short Message Service" - texts.
The service will initially also be aimed at the deaf and hard of hearing, but is expected to be made available to everyone if the trial proves successful.
The 999 Liaison Committee brings together representatives of the telecoms operators, the emergency services, Government Departments and Ofcom.
It provides a forum to discuss matters arising from the provision of the 999 call number, ensuring problems are identified and resolved.
The existing emergency text relay service for the deaf and hard of hearing works on the basis of users having text telephones.
The phones, either fixed lines or mobile phones, are fitted with special keyboards that use text communication over the voice channel.
This service uses a special number - 18000 - rather than 999, and enables the caller to have real-time exchanges with an emergency control operator through a relay operator.
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Texting on your mobile could soon be the quickest way to call for police help
Groups representing the deaf and hard of hearing have asked for the service to be extended to SMS messages from standard mobile handsets.
They have argued that many hard of hearing people are very familiar with SMS.
A spokesman for the Communities Department, which oversees the service, confirmed the move. He said: "The trial is expected to last six months - although no start date has yet been set - and will be targeted at the deaf and hard of hearing.
"After the trial period, an assessment will be made of the effectiveness of the service and whether it should be more widely available."
