Rumour Says Calling 999 Can Boost Mobile Phone Batteries

One of the UK’s regional police forces has warned mobile phone users not to call the emergency service number (999) to charge their mobiles.

It is known that a rumour or urban myth suggesting that calling 999 and disconnecting immediately will boost the battery life of a phone has been circulating for some time throughout the country.

Over the past 6 months the emergency services control room has received numerous calls from members of the public who believe the myth and are incorrectly trying to get more power out of their mobile device.

Inspector Claire Ackerman, of the Force Control Room, said, “This myth has been circulating for some time now and we are not the only force to have suffered from these false calls. Calling 999 for anything other than an emergency or a non-police matter puts additional pressure on resources, ties up an operator and wastes valuable time that could be better spent helping genuine callers possibly in a life-threatening situation.

She added obviously, that “The only way to boost a mobile phone battery is to use a charger.”

She continued: “I would warn anyone making hoax or calls of this nature that silent or aborted 999 calls are always investigated to ensure the caller is safe and to protect the public. If the 999 system is misused or a call is found to be a hoax then this could constitute a criminal offence.”