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Emergency 111 Frequently Asked Questions - New Zealand Police | New Zealand Police

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it free to call 111?

In an emergency you can call 111 free from cellphones, landlines and phone boxes.

What if I've run out of money on my cellphone?

In an emergency, you can still call 111 even if you've run out of money on your cellphone.

What if I need Fire and Ambulance as well as Police?

Some situations will need more than one emergency service, for example a serious car crash. Ask for the service needed most urgently.

Police, Fire and Ambulance have links to each other. The first service to get the call will tell the others.

Why do Police ask callers to stay on the phone?

Depending on the nature of the emergency, the communicator may keep you on the line for some time.

Please be prepared to help them as you are often their ears and eyes. For example, if you saw a robbery in progress you may be able to give Police a good description of the offender(s) and tell Police which way they left the scene. All this information can help police catch the offenders more quickly.

Why do Communicators ask lots of questions?

Police Communicators will ask you a lot of questions. This is because they are trying to obtain important information about what is happening and how many police officers should attend the incident.

For example, if weapons are involved, Police need to be very careful about how they respond for their own - and other peoples' - safety.

As soon as a Communicator confirms the location of the event and the event type, the job is automatically routed to a Dispatcher who has the role of dispatching the Police units.

This is happening at the same time as the Communicator continues to update details about the event. These updated details are seen by the Dispatcher who continually provides the details to the Police units on the way to the event.

What is *555 used for?

*555 is the number to call on cellphones to report poor driver behaviour, non-urgent traffic incidents and road hazards.

The Police Communications Centres answer about 320,000 *555 calls every year.

If something dangerous is happening on the road, call 111.

How long does it take to answer 111 calls?

The world standard is that 90% of emergency calls should be answered within 10 seconds and we routinely achieve this in New Zealand. Nearly all 111 calls are answered within 60 seconds.

If it's an emergency, stay on the line. Your call will be answered as quickly as possible.

Why can't I text 111?

Texts can't be prioritised by mobile networks, so there's a risk transmission will be delayed. We also need to know exactly where you are and what's happening, and the quickest way of gathering that information is to talk to you directly.

In an emergency, always call 111.

What if I have a hearing impairment?

In an emergency, people with impaired hearing or speech can dial 0800 16 16 16 (TTY phone only) or fax 0800 16 16 10.

How do I get a job in a Police Communications Centre?

Click here to find out how to become a Police Communicator.

What about 911 and 112?

The emergency number for New Zealand is 111.

In other countries different numbers are used for emergency service calls. 112 is a common emergency number used in Europe and 911 is used in USA.

If you dial 112 from a GSM mobile (eg Vodafone) in New Zealand, your call will be transferred to the 111 Emergency Service. If you dial 112 from any other phone in New Zealand you will get a recorded message asking you to redial and call 111 directly.

In New Zealand dial 111 in an emergency.