The Silent Solution is designed for people who want to signal for police without making a noise (Picture: Getty)

If you find yourself in a situation which requires emergency services, but feel like you’d be in further danger if you spoke aloud – there is something you can do.

When you call 999, an operator asks which emergency service you require before rerouting the call to the police, ambulance service or fire brigade.

If a 999 caller remains silent, the operator may ask them to cough or make another audible sound.

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But, it may not be safe to make a noise in every situation – for example it could alert a potential attacker to your exact whereabouts or escalate a dangerous situation like domestic violence or burglary.




Emergency services simply don’t have the resources to investigate every call made to 999 during which no sound is made.

Although there’s a simple way of signalling that it’s a genuine emergency and you haven’t just accidentally pocket-dialled.

Simple dial 55 if you cannot make an audible request for help (Picture: Getty)

You simply dial 55.

The procedure is called Silent Solutions and it was created so people in an emergency can call the police in dangerous situations.

After you dial 999 and you’ve been unable to audibly signal to the operator, your call will be forwarded to an operating system.

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If you’re in danger, dial 55 otherwise the call will be terminated.

The ‘55’ Silent Solution protocol has been in place for over a decade, although police have recently issued a reminder as not many people know about the protocol.

A police spokesman said: ‘Please do not think that just because you dial 999 that police will attend.

‘We totally understand that sometimes people are unable or too afraid to talk, however it must be clear that we will not routinely attend a silent 999 call.

‘There must be some indication that the call has not been mis-dialled.’