Journey of a 999 call

'Typical call' graphic

Cannot play media. Sorry, this media is not available in your territory.

29 June 2012 Last updated at 18:44 ET Help

When the 999 service was introduced 75 years ago, it was the world's first emergency number.

Last year, the number was dialled 37 million times, with more than 98% of the calls answered within five seconds by operators.

Genuine calls are put through to the emergency services, which then try to get responders to the scene of an incident less than 15 minutes after the 999 call was first made.

Video produced by Joseph Coulson.

BBC © 2013 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.

This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.