Some of the absurd reasons why people ring 999 to ask South Yorkshire Police for help

Call handlers in South Yorkshire responding to people riniging 999 have dealt with people reporting a chicken in the road, a bat in their bedroom and to complain that they had been charged too much for a coffee.

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The calls have been highlighted by South Yorkshire Police to highlight some of the timewasting phone calls the force receives when call handlers are already stretched.

South Yorkshire Police said: "Our force control room is often the first point of contact people have with South Yorkshire Police. Many of the colleagues who work there are civilian police staff, who spend their days and nights answering 999 and 101 calls.

"Our contact resolution officers are responsible for answering emergency (999) and non-emergency (101) calls from members of the public, Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS), South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue (SYFR), social care, charities and other police forces."

The force said the role of a contact resolution officer is varied and every call taken or person spoken to is different, with some unsuitable for an emergency police response.

Call handler Harvinder said the can be faced with people in their worst moments: "Nobody ever rings the police for something good; you are dealing with people who need your help, and you need to lift some pressure off their shoulders.

"Much of my role is providing reassurance, calming people down, giving them instructions and advice in difficult situations.

"I was once on the phone to a woman who was being driven around by a group of men against her will. She had no idea where she was, and she was terrified. My job was to extract information to establish where she was, and what kind of danger she was in so officers could get to her quickly."

The force control room receives over 2,000 calls per day.

There are job vacancies in the control room and when asked what people should consider before applying, Harvinder explained: "Be prepared for variety – both in the calls you receive and the type of people you speak to.

"You are people’s first impression of South Yorkshire Police. If you want to help and you want to do something good, this is the place for you."

Find out more about our police vacancies here.