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Learner rings 999 over late teacher

Press Association - Police received an emergency call from a learner driver involved in an argument with his instructor

• Press Association - Police received an emergency call from a learner driver involved in an argument with his instructor

A learner driver dialled 999 asking for "emergency" police assistance during a row with his instructor.

Call handlers at West Midlands Police were baffled when they received the call from a man just after 8am last Thursday reporting that his instructor had arrived minutes late for their session.

The caller told them: "I've got an emergency... the person who's supposed to be teaching me came late and now she's asking me to get out of her car. She's saying I'm giving her attitude... please come over. I need someone to complain to. Who should I complain to?"

West Midlands Police have released an audio recording of the mobile phone call, which lasts just over two minutes, to highlight the importance of using 999 to report genuine emergencies.

During the call, the instructor can be heard asking the man to get out of the car. The call handler advises the learner to speak to the instructor's employer or the body that regulates driving instructors before stressing the importance of only using 999 to report genuine emergencies.

West Midlands Police Contact Centre Chief Inspector Sally Holmes branded such calls "ridiculous" and said they deflect police resources from people in genuine need of emergency assistance.

She said: "We regularly receive calls on the 9s about lost property, people asking for directions and revellers who've been denied entry to nightclubs. Other recent 'emergencies' include a blocked sink plug in a hotel room and someone who'd forgotten their computer password!

"It's astonishing listening to them but they hide a serious truth. Each call often takes minutes to deal with as staff have to clarify the situation - it might not sound like much but, if someone is trying to get through to report a genuine life or death emergency, then a minute is a very long time to wait.

"I cannot stress enough the 999 number is for emergencies only. This is defined as a crime in progress, if someone suspected of a crime is nearby, when there is danger to life or when violence is being used or threatened. To contact police for any other reason, call 101."

No further action was taken against the caller by the police, a force spokesman confirmed.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/learner-rings-999-over-teacher-102051813.html#T3IGCzn

'Hello, Police? My children won't go to bed': Latest list of nuisance calls reveals bizarre reasons why people dial 999

Problems with Sky TV and a complaint about loud love-making were also among reasons they rang 101 or 999, according to data revealed by South Yorkshire Police.
Yahoo! News – Fri, Jun 28, 2013

Press Association/PA - Police revealed the bizarre calls as they try to crackdown on callers wasting police time. (PA)

Muddy trainers, lost trousers, and parents who couldn't get their children to go to bed are just some of the latest bizarre reasons why 999-callers have phoned the police.

Problems with Sky TV and a complaint about loud love-making were also among reasons they rang 101 or 999, according to data revealed by South Yorkshire Police.

One man in Rotherham even phoned to tell police that his neighbour dislikes him because he used to jump on a trampoline wearing a dress.

There were also two separate incidents where parents rang police to complain that their child would not go to bed when told.

Det Sgt Nigel Taaffe, from South Yorkshire Police, said: 'If you had your children's friends over and one went to the toilet in your Wendy house, most people would just clean it up. But we had someone ring the police.

'If your 14-year-old daughter has got her brand new expensive trainers muddy and her friends are laughing, most people would not ring us. But, again, someone did.

'They are generally one-off issues.

'But there are people who place a disproportionate demand on our resources and not for policing issues.'

South Yorkshire Police released the call handler log to highlight how both emergency and non-emergency numbers are misused.

The force is now sending letters and threatening legal action on those who consistently waste their time and resources.

Det Sgt Taaffe said: 'We're highlighting the fact that they are taking up the valuable time of officers, PCSOs and call handlers.'

Police also fear that real crimes - like hate incidents against the disabled - are meanwhile going unreported.

PC Nick Knowles said: 'There are a lot of people who need us and, therefore, a big demand on our services.

'But there are also some who have difficulty managing aspects of their own lives and don't understand the job of the police.
'They call us up for things most people would know how to deal with themselves.'

Police urged people to call 999 only in emergencies and to use 101 to report less urgent crime or disorder and for general police enquiries.

A selection of calls made by Rotherham residents to the 101 and 999 numbers during the past 12 months, as logged by the callhandler:

Caller is disliked by his neighbour because he used to jump up and down on his trampoline in a dress.

Caller states that her daughter, 11 years, is 'attacking her'. Questioned further, it turns out her daughter is being a naughty girl and won't go to bed.

Confused caller says she does not seem to be able to get films with her Sky TV card. Advised she would need to speak to Sky.

There is a couple with a big brown dog that is running around. It has not been aggressive towards anyone but caller is concerned as to the size of the dog. He has spoken to the couple about the dog but they have not done anything.

Caller says some children who live round the corner keep coming to her house to play with her daughter. She says that one of them has pooed in her daughter's playhouse. This child is three years old but caller is irate because they should know better.

Caller reporting he has two females, possibly from housing, knocking on his door and he doesn't want to answer it so is asking for police to attend. He states that he is on water tablets so doesn't want to talk to them.

Caller advising that he has found some driving documents that he thought he had previously lost and was wanting to let us know.

Caller wanting to report some youths being a nuisance. They have been coming on the street Christmas carolling but they can't sing and it seems like they are just trying to get some money.

Caller very distressed. The neighbours next door are making love very loudly with the windows open. This has been going on for some time.

Caller reporting four or five youths aged five to 11 on the street and they have thrown a stone at her window and smashed it. On inspection of said window it transpires there is no actual damage, just a mud mark which has wiped off.

Caller was in Newcastle for the weekend and woke up yesterday in his hotel to find his trousers were missing.

Caller reporting her daughter, 12 years, has been to the woods with four friends. They have all crossed a stream, on a log. The log has slipped from under her and she has fallen into the stream. This has ruined her new trainers. She asked them for help to get out of the stream and they stood there and laughed. Caller states that her daughter has then had to walk home with wet feet.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/999-nuisance-calls--rotherham-south-yorkshire-104329561.html#GwOnXkP

 http://www.childrenofthesun.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=423%3A11-11-11-oracle-vision&catid=39&Itemid=1&lang=en

How to teach your children about racism

When it comes to teaching your kids about the wrongs of racism, perhaps finding yourselves in a packed tram carriage with a woman making xenophobic comments isn’t such a bad thing.
Because any children that witnessed Emma West’s now infamous diatribe against black and Polish passengers will be under no illusions about the nastiness of her behaviour.

It’s just a shame that the little boy on her lap will most likely grow up to share her views.

What the Croydon tram incident – now viewed by millions on YouTube - will have taught most parents is that, try as you might, you just can’t shelter your kids from reprehensible views.

You might live in a multi-cultural area, have friends and family from all backgrounds and visit far-flung destinations every summer but be it homophobia, sexism or racism, your child will surely encounter prejudice in some form sooner or later.

The key thing is to arm your kids with the knowledge and confidence to be able to suss out what’s right from what’s wrong.

Here are a few tips on how:

Acknowledge differences

From the age of three or four, children begin noticing differences between them and others and may start asking questions about people’s skin colour, for instance.

"Parents sometimes panic when they hear these questions, but children are naturally curious, and they're simply trying to learn," says Alvin Poussaint, professor of psychiatry at Harvard University.
Don’t make a big deal of their questions: simply explain that people come in all different colours, shapes and sizes and, although we may look different, we are all the same on the inside.

Consider your behaviour

Kids pick up on everything but don’t necessarily understand the subtleties in our behaviour. So even if you think you are beyond reproach, make sure you aren’t sending messages that will confuse your child.

Do you laugh when someone tells a culturally insensitive joke? Do you mimic other people’s accents to be funny? You may not intend to be racist but a child can get the wrong impression and copy what we say and do.

Talk about it

There are stereotypes everywhere – from the blonde princesses in the fairytales to the villains with foreign-sounding names. Without going over the top, casually point out negative stereotypes when you notice them and let your kids know they’re wrong.

Your child may even come out with generalisations themselves, such as ‘all the girls in my class are rubbish at football’ or ‘all the Asian kids are good at maths’. Tell them that just because some people behave in a certain way, it doesn’t mean that everybody of their gender or ethnicity is the same:

gently discourage generalisations, whether positive or negative.

Explore your family

Use your own family histories to teach your child about what a melting pot of cultures we all are. Even if there are no tales of exotic immigration and it’s just ‘Daddy’s Grandpa came from Wales’, you can still instil in them a sense that they are made up of lots of different cultures and ethnicities and that it is something to be proud of.

Try on someone else’s shoes…

If you hear your child or one of their friends criticise someone because of the colour of their skin, or any other ethnic difference, ask them how they would feel if people were mean simply because of the way they looked. Keep it simple –get them to empathise with how others might feel to be singled out.

Encourage a strong sense of identity

Children who are valued, respected and happy do not tend to be bigots: those who feel angry or frustrated will be more likely to single out others they deem different.

Similarly, building self-esteem is vital for kids who may be in the minority at school: if they want to know why they don’t look like their friends, teach them to be proud of their difference as something special.

Don’t tolerate any prejudice

Children can trade casual insults even if they have no idea of their meaning – take the recent fads for using ‘gay’ or ‘chav’ as terms of abuse. Never tolerate any prejudiced language: explain it is wrong to use such terms as insults and that everybody deserves equal respect. It is never OK to feel superior to any other group of people.

Similarly, when you overhear anyone else talking disparagingly about other races, make a point of explaining to your child that this is wrong – don’t let casual racism slip by. It’s important that they realise racism exists and have the wherewithal to counter it with their own opinions.

Go out and about

Soak up the cultures in your area by going to local celebrations such as the Diwali festival, Chinese New Year, St Patrick’s Day parade or Bengali Mela. Visit museums that specialise in minority ethnic histories or are staging exhibitions about different cultures.

Explore local communities, too – don’t just stick to your usual shops and routes around town, take a stroll through the Orthodox Jewish quarter, buy your weekly shop in the Turkish grocer’s or have lunch in the Pakistani café down the road.

You don’t need to make a big song and dance about diversity for the kids to soak up the message that a mix of cultures is enriching and exciting.

http://uk.lifestyle.yahoo.com/how-to-teach-your-children-about-racism.html