Any of your staff involved in handling claims for the public
will be used to considering behaviour which is unusual, bizarre or
just plain stupid. The ability of some members of the public to
challenge our credulity knows no bounds. One good example is
provided by Essex Police on their website: www.essex.police.uk/news.
I am not targetting Essex in particular. I am sure that a similar
pattern of behaviour can be found anywhere in the rest of the
UK.
The 999 system in Essex is 70 years old this year. There is
nothing new about the service but still 10% of total 999 calls to
Essex Police should not have been made. Here are some examples:
? A woman who called because her son would not get out of
bed
? Could I have the number for Crimestoppers?
? What time is the fireworks display in Romford?
? A woman asking the police to take her home as she had no
money
? A woman walking home after a night out who had no problems but
wanted a chat with someone
? "I can't get a taxi home and I've got no credit. Can you phone
one for me or give me a lift?"
? A man who called stating that his wife had been shopping and had
got on the wrong bus home and was now in Romford and wanted to know
what he could do
? A caller reported a parrot stuck up a tree
? A caller who wished to know the weather forecast for the
following day because of a planned picnic
? A woman who called to report that she was terrified of a spider
and asked the police to remove it
If these callers could not understand what to make of something
as simple as the 999 service, you can only imagine what they would
make of the average insurance proposal form...