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For reference, this is simply not true. You can ring 999 for fires (which generally pose a much greater risk to property), you should call 999 after a serious t

For reference, this is simply not true. You can ring 999 for fires (which generally pose a much greater risk to property), you should call 999 after a serious traffic accident regardless of whether someone's life is in danger and you can even phone 999 if you're alone and have been stopped by a lone policeman (I learned this one recently from a criminology teacher). I'm sorry to hear you had a bad experience; of course, it has to be an emergency, but being threatened certainly sounds like that to me!

celticninja 5y ago
That last one is a recent addendum as a result of the murder of Sarah Everard.
- dazc 5y ago
  Indeed, which may be helpful if a serving police officer intends to murder you and is also willing to allow you to make the call.
  - mytailorisrich 5y ago
    Yes, it's just for the show because they know full well that if a police officer stops you and says (s)he is arresting you then in real life you have two options: to comply or to flee/to fight. Obviously they cannot tell the public to resist arrest so they came up with this slightly ridiculous suggestion.
    - toyg 5y ago
      The only redeeming grace is that, police being mostly un-armed in the UK, fleeing is still a realistic option.
      - fmajid 5y ago
        Cousens was armed.
        toyg 5y ago
        If the alternative is what Everard had to endure, I would argue fleeing is still preferable.
        danw1979 5y ago
        He was a psycho but given his motives I doubt he would have whipped out his police firearm and shot her in the middle of a busy street in south London.
toyg 5y ago
> you can even phone 999 if you're alone and have been stopped by a lone policeman Oh no no no, the Metropolitan Police advised to "flag down a bus" in that case. And the Prime Minister agrees: https://news.sky.com/story/sarah-everard-murder-pm-vows-to-stop-at-nothing-to-get-more-rapists-behind-bars-after-wayne-couzens-case-12424779 https://news.sky.com/story/sarah-everard-murder-pm-vows-to-s...
- dazc 5y ago
  In all honesty, a random bus driver is more likely to help you.
redis_mlc 5y ago
> you can even phone 999 if you're alone and have been stopped by a lone policeman I believe this is related to the London cop recently arresting a woman on some "corona lockdown" pretext, kidnapping and killing her. https://www.npr.org/2021/09/30/1041824561/london-police-officer-sentenced-sarah-everard-killing https://www.npr.org/2021/09/30/1041824561/london-police-offi...

celticninja 5y ago

That last one is a recent addendum as a result of the murder of Sarah Everard.

dazc 5y ago
Indeed, which may be helpful if a serving police officer intends to murder you and is also willing to allow you to make the call.
- mytailorisrich 5y ago
  Yes, it's just for the show because they know full well that if a police officer stops you and says (s)he is arresting you then in real life you have two options: to comply or to flee/to fight. Obviously they cannot tell the public to resist arrest so they came up with this slightly ridiculous suggestion.
  - toyg 5y ago
    The only redeeming grace is that, police being mostly un-armed in the UK, fleeing is still a realistic option.
    - fmajid 5y ago
      Cousens was armed.
      - toyg 5y ago
        If the alternative is what Everard had to endure, I would argue fleeing is still preferable.
      - danw1979 5y ago
        He was a psycho but given his motives I doubt he would have whipped out his police firearm and shot her in the middle of a busy street in south London.

toyg 5y ago

> you can even phone 999 if you're alone and have been stopped by a lone policeman Oh no no no, the Metropolitan Police advised to "flag down a bus" in that case. And the Prime Minister agrees: https://news.sky.com/story/sarah-everard-murder-pm-vows-to-stop-at-nothing-to-get-more-rapists-behind-bars-after-wayne-couzens-case-12424779 https://news.sky.com/story/sarah-everard-murder-pm-vows-to-s...

dazc 5y ago
In all honesty, a random bus driver is more likely to help you.

redis_mlc 5y ago

> you can even phone 999 if you're alone and have been stopped by a lone policeman I believe this is related to the London cop recently arresting a woman on some "corona lockdown" pretext, kidnapping and killing her. https://www.npr.org/2021/09/30/1041824561/london-police-officer-sentenced-sarah-everard-killing https://www.npr.org/2021/09/30/1041824561/london-police-offi...