How well do you know your UK emergency and helpline phone numbers? Take the Paperclip quiz and find out!
The vast majority of people know that 999 is the UK’s official emergency telephone number. In 2023, 41.9 million 999 calls were made in the UK, with almost 80% of the calls coming from mobile phones. Of the 41.9 million calls, 57% were for the Police and 40% were for the Ambulance Service.
However, very few people, including the author of this article, are aware there is a 999 + 55 emergency number option. This is the ‘Silent Solution’ for situations where the caller speaking may put themselves or others in danger.
How well do you know the emergency and helpline phone numbers in the UK? Here are a further fifteen numbers it would be worth knowing – but can you link the number to the correct service?!
The Quiz
In the following table there are fifteen different emergency and helpline numbers, and fifteen service listings which have been jumbled up. So, do you know which is the correct service listing for each helpline number?
Number |
| Service | |
1 | 101 | A | Gas Emergency Helpline |
2 | 111 | B | Reverse Charge Call (BT Inland Operator) |
3 | 116 123 | C | Victim Support |
4 | 116 000 | D | Shelter |
5 | 112 | E | Missing People |
6 | 0808 808 20 20 | F | British Transport Police |
7 | 0808 808 4000 | G | NHS Medical Helpline |
8 | 0808 800 4444 | H | Macmillan Cancer Relief Helpline |
9 | 020 8423 8999 | I | The Patients Association |
10 | 0800 111 999 | J | Samaritans |
11 | 105 | K | EU/EEA-wide Emergency Number |
12 | 0808 800 5000 | L | National Debtline |
13 | 0808 1689 111 | M | NSPCC |
14 | 0800 40 50 40 | N | Power Cut Helpline |
15 | 100 | O | Non-emergency Police Number |
The Answers
In the following table, you will find the answers to the Paperclip Quiz. How well did you do?!
|
1=O |
101 |
Non-emergency Police Number |
|
2 = G |
111 |
NHS Medical Helpline |
|
3=J |
116 123 |
Samaritans |
|
4=E |
116 000 |
Missing People |
|
5=K |
112 |
EU/EEA-wide Emergency Number |
|
6=H |
0808 808 20 20 |
Macmillan Cancer Relief Helpline |
|
7=L |
0808 808 4000 |
National Debtline |
|
8=D |
0808 800 4444 |
Shelter |
|
9=I |
020 8423 8999 |
The Patients Association |
|
10=A |
0800 111 999 |
Gas Emergency Helpline |
|
11=N |
105 |
Power Cut Helpline |
|
12 = M |
0808 800 5000 |
NSPCC |
|
13=C |
0808 1689 111 |
Victim Support |
|
14=F |
0800 40 50 40 |
British Transport Police |
|
15=B |
100 |
Reverse Charge Call (BT Inland Operator) |
The Results
15 – An excellent companion to have in an emergency…or a pub quiz!
10-14 – You are very safe and very sound. You are well on your way to being an expert!
5-10 – An above average score. You do pass GO! and you do collect £200 (imaginary)!
2-5 – It’s harder than it looks, isn’t it?
0-1 – Make sure you only venture out with an expert (see 15/15 above!).
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Hi, I’m Louise Bellwood, Director at Paperclip. I am responsible for delivering Paperclip’s customer service and growth strategies for 2024 and beyond, I am a crusader for the benefits call answering can deliver for organisations of all kinds; customer service, sales generation, customer retention and more. If you have a question about call answering – pricing, set-up, benefits – I would love to hear from you at louise@paperclip.co.uk or 01246 418 181.