Video transcript

If you are deaf, deafened, hard of hearing or speech impaired and you need to contact Avon and Somerset police in a non-emergency, you can now use your mobile phone to text your problem. The non-emergency text number is 81819. This service is for non-emergency texts to Avon and Somerset Police only.

To use it, you first need to register with Avon and Somerset Police's Mobile Registration Service. Registration will help police recognise that the text is from a deaf person. Once registered, and with this knowledge, your text can then be placed in a priority queue. It is easy to register. Go back to the PLOD homepage and look at the lefthand toolbar on the screen. There you will see a link to Mobile Registration Service. Click on that link and complete the form.

Remember, when you text police for a non-emergency, write:

• Your name.
• What the problem is.
• Where you can be contacted (an address).
• It is also helpful to know whether you are deaf, deafened, hard of hearing or speech impaired, as this will help police to understand the response that is needed.

Remember that some texts may not get through to police, or there may be a delay. No text messages are guaranteed, and they rely on mobile phone signals and phone companies.

You will know your message has been received ONLY when you receive a text back from police. Some examples of non-emergency calls are:

• For general enquiries,
• reporting a crime or other incident,
• or to request police assistance in a situation that is not an emergency.

If you have an emergency, then there is another text service that is available to you.

To view information about the Emergency Text Service and what it is to be used for, see the BSL clip on the PLOD homepage about the Emergency Text Service.