Derbyshire Constabulary is appealing to mobile phone users not to believe a myth that dialling 999 boosts the phone’s battery.
The myth, which has been circulating for the last year, suggests that dialling 999 from a mobile and immediately disconnecting will charge the battery.
The idea has been traced back to comments on a Blackberry phone forum but is completely untrue.
A Derbyshire police spokesman said: “There is no way any mobile phone battery can be boosted by anything other than a normal charger. We have received several silent 999 calls recently which have turned out to be people who are trying to get more charge on their phone.
“Every time we get a silent or aborted 999 call we have to spend time ringing that person back to ensure they are safe. That takes up valuable time which could be spent dealing with a real emergency.
“We’re appealing to anyone who hears this myth to ignore it and not waste their time or the time of emergency service personnel.”
