A man who called a 999 operator for being refused into Primark to buy a “pair of joggers” has been blasted by police.
The caller used the emergency line to say that a security guard was not allowing him into the shop and that he wanted the police to come down.
West Yorkshire Police has published the recording of the telephone call as an example of when not to call 999.
The call begins with the operator saying: “West Yorkshire Police, what’s the emergency?”
And the man started: “I’m stood outside Primark. There’s a security lad.
"Obviously I want to buy some joggers, I’ve got money, and he’s obviously, well I want you to come to the store so you can report him or do summat, you know what I mean? He’s refusing to let me in for a pair of joggers.”
Then the female call operator pointed out: “Right, that’s not a police matter though. The security can refuse whoever they like into the store I’m afraid.
"So we wouldn’t be coming out to tell him otherwise. He’s just doing his job, okay, and if he thinks you can’t go in for whatever reason you’d have to take it up with their complaints system.”
But the man was not finished there saying: “No, no he’s not doing his job he’s just been a *****.”
At that point the operator end the conversation saying: “I’m afraid it’s not a police matter. I’m going to have to clear the line okay. You need to complain to them, thank you.”
At the end of the video, a message from West Yorkshire Police read: “Only dial 999 if a crime is in progress or there is a danger to life.”
It comes after a woman phoned 999 to complain that her "dustbin has not been emptied for two weeks" wasting more than a minute of the emergency call handler's time.
Cambridgeshire Police released the recording of the conversation with the member of the public to emphasise that the 999 line should only be used for "emergency" calls.
The phone call began with the woman saying: "Now this might sound funny, I’ve rung every call I can get, my dustbin has been emptied for two weeks."
She was repeatedly told by the operator that she should try and contact Peterborough City Council and he even had to say that the line wasn't "directory enquiries" when she said she didn't know if she had that number.
