Force Provides SMS Service

City of London Police has launched an SMS service, which will allow people in the City to use their mobile phones to contact the police in non-emergency situations.

The SMS service is aimed mainly at people that have hearing or speech impediments but it is available to all City residents. This will replace the existing typetalk and textphone services.

To use the service, people simply send a text message to 07940 500 500 clearly identifying their name, location, where the incident is taking place and brief details of what is happening.  When the police have received the message, the user will receive a confirmation text.

Chief Inspector Anthony Cairney said: "We hope that people will find this service useful, particularly those who have hearing or speech difficulties. People should find it a lot easier to use than typetalk and textphone services."

The success of the SMS service depends on the accuracy and detail of the information sent. For safety purposes, people should always state their location and they should not assume that their message has been received unless they have received an SMS Text receipt.