When to call 999

When to call 999
You should always call 999 if:

you or someone else is in immediate danger
if the crime is in progress
you need police help immediately.

This could include:

someone using violence or threatening violence
if there is a danger to life
serious damage is being or could be caused to a property
a potential criminal has been disturbed or stopped
a road traffic collision where someone is hurt or a danger is being caused to other road users.

If the matter is not an emergency, dial 101.

If you are unsure whether to call us, please check our advice and services sections before you call.

Everyday, our contact and control room receives hundreds of calls, many of which do not concern the police. Below are the top non-police related calls we received last year, and the agency that you need to contact.

Please do not call us for:

1. Noise nuisance
Noise nuisances are generally dealt with by local authorities, please check this page to see who can help you. If you want to report noise nuisance to your local council you can do so here.

2. Lost dogs
You must report lost dogs, dog fouling, noisy dogs and stray dogs to your local council.

3. Abandoned vehicles
Dumped cars and abandoned vehicles must be reported to your local council. If you believe the vehicle is stolen or causing a highway obstruction please call 101.

4. Fly tipping and littering
Illegal dumping of waste should be reported to your local council. If the offence is being committed at the time of the call, contact the police.

5. Road problems (traffic lights not working, roadworks, debris in the road)
Reporting faulty traffic lights depend on where you live and the type of road – you can find the appropriate authority here or report a road obstruction here.

6. Do you believe you have been mis-sold?
For information on how to report mis-selling to Trading Standards, see the Citizens Advice website.

7. Litter/dog fouling
This will be dealt with by your local council.

8. Fraud
Fraud should be reported to Action Fraud.

9. Untaxed vehicles
Please note, tax discs are no longer needed – vehicle tax may still be up-to-date even if no tax disc is on show. The Department of Transport deals with untaxed vehicles and you can report one anonymously here.

General information on policing
If you have a general question about police powers or policing responsibilities you can find answers very quickly through the national “Ask the Police” website.

Specific questions
If you have a Suffolk specific policing question, try accessing our online policy statements which are stored here.

Email
If you still need to ask a question and the response is not time critical, you can send an email to: [email protected]. We aim to respond in 20 working days, but our normal response is usually much quicker. Please note: this email address is monitored Monday - Friday, any enquiries sent over the weekend will be dealt with on the next working day.

Additional ways to comtact us

Our mini-com number for the hard of hearing is 01473 611160.
Our textphone number is 18001 101.