if you are in a situation where you cannot talk but need to call 911, call them, and press 1 to contact the police

Fake news claim: Post viral on Social Media claims, If you need the police in a situation where you can’t speak, ring 999 and when they answer press 55. This tells them that you need help and they will dispatch police to you. 

Did you know that if you’re in a situation where you can’t speak (choking, heart attack, domestic violence, intruder, etc) you can ring 999 and when they answer, listen to the prompts then press 55. This tells them you need help but can’t speak - they will dispatch the police.

Did you know that if you’re in a situation where you can’t speak (choking, heart attack, domestic violence, intruder etc) you can ring 999 and when they answer, listen to the prompts then press 55. This tells them you need help but can’t speak - they will dispatch the police.

— Peter Johnson (@PeterJo26195813) January 13, 2020

They've never suggested that someone shouldn't do this & if you're in a situation where you NEED the police but the person you're fearful of is in the same room/house, this is a pretty clever idea.

5. if you are in a situation where you cannot talk but need to call 911, call them, and press 1 to contact the police. The dispatcher will ask you questions, and press 4 to respond yes and 5 to respond no.

They've never suggested that someone shouldn't do this & if you're in a situation where you NEED the police but the person you're fearful of is in the same room/house, this is a pretty clever idea.

— Kallisto (@KallistoEydis) January 11, 2020

Facts Check Verdict: False

News Verification: An image in circulation claims that if you are unable to talk after calling 999, then dial 55 this will ensure that police are sent to help you.

This is a myth. Even remaining silent the call will be terminated. You need to cough or make some verbal noise then the operator will ask you to press 55. There may be a time when a 999 call needs to be made, but talking will put you or someone else in danger. However, staying silent on a 999 call does not mean that emergency services will come to your aid.

Dial 999 is a UK based number to report what you're seeing and in danger. Question and answers after dialing 999 and 55

What happens if you dial 999 then 55?

If you have not been able to signal that your call is an emergency by coughing after dialing 999, you will be put through to the operator. If you are in danger, you will be asked to dial "55", otherwise, the call will be terminated

Around 5,000 of the 20,000 silent 999 calls made daily are put through to an automated system. Callers are then led through a series of prompts and asked to press 55 to confirm there is a genuine emergency. The system has been in operation since 2002 but police say many callers don't understand or use it correctly

 Does dial 55 work?

If you don't press 55, the call will be terminated. Pressing 55 does not allow police to track your location.” The call will be transferred to your local police force. The police call handler will then try to communicate with the caller by asking simple “yes” or “no” questions

What happens if you call 999 and don't speak?

999 calls: How to contact police when you can't speak. ... Calling 999 and coughing or tapping in 55 on the keypad will signal to the call operator that you are in danger, allowing them to send officers to your location. However, if they don't hear anything, the operator will simply hang up. 

If you can’t talk during a 999 call, dialing 55 should route your call to the police. But they won’t necessarily send officers and they can’t always trace calls to an exact address.