Few people know: 112 emergency centers can also be reached via text and app

“Just a free tip from me,” Michael wrote on Twitter to his followers at the end of May this year. Send “Register” to 112. This way you can activate sending a text message to 112 in an emergency. “

It was useful, he said, if you couldn’t speak out loud during a burglary, for example, you could still call emergency services. His followers were also happy. After sending the first SMS, you will receive a message asking if you want to confirm the registration. You can do this again by returning the Login Agreement.

What’s annoying is that you really have to start sending the word ‘Subscribe’. If you type something else (“Help!”), you will get a message that you should call 112 in the case of the North. So the first text “record”.

Why was this feature not announced? It turns out that only a year and a half ago it was possible to send text messages to the emergency center. A group of interest groups for people with speech problems, deaf and hard of hearing campaigned for this. a important stepThey called this.

There is no public campaign

Since the job is only for people who can’t call 112 directly, there has been no widespread public campaign. But the cooperation of the National Control Room (LMS) participated Comprehensive question and answer† If you are in an emergency situation and cannot speak due to circumstances, sending 112 is of course an option.

“Text messages first arrive at our central center in Driebergen and from there they are distributed to control rooms,” says a spokesperson for the Police Force Department. An employee at Center 112 reads the text message and sends a text message again.

Also new: 112NL . App

At the beginning of this year, control rooms launched another way to access the exchange: via an app. This 112NL app is available for iOS And the Android, dedicated to everyone. It is an application that allows you to make calls and send text messages.

Why are you installing this app? You can just call 112, right? Yes, but by calling through this application, the emergency center immediately receives all kinds of information. This way they can instantly tell if you need the police, an ambulance, or a firefighter. The agent will also see your name – if you entered it during installation. You can also decide what language you speak and whether you have difficulty hearing or speaking.

The home screen also shows your exact location and this information is sent instantly when connected – although this also happens these days. When you call 112 in the normal way†

Finally, the operator can start a conversation immediately if you indicate that you have a speech or hearing impairment or if you speak a different language.

Downloaded 118000 times

The app has now been downloaded 118,000 times and makes about 100 calls every week. So far, only people with speech or hearing impairments have been drawn to the app.

The app will soon be promoted to non-native speakers, whose target group is “absolutely diverse,” the spokesperson says. By non-native speakers, it means people with an immigrant background, migrant workers, tourists, refugees, as well as foreign students, for example. They can already use the app. Chat works with Google Translator. But the app itself also needs translation. This is happening this year.

Send photos

After that, the application will be further developed, the speaker explains. tip of the veil? It will soon be possible, for example, to send photos to the control room. “That’s when we really want to reach a wider audience.”