Nottinghamshire Police

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Nuisance phone calls

• Nuisance phone calls come in different forms. They can be abusive, threatening, obscene, heavy breathing or silent
• If you receive a nuisance call you should remain calm. Some malicious callers may gain pleasure from an emotional response
• Don’t talk to the malicious caller
• At the end of the call dial 1471 to see if the caller’s number has been recorded. If it has, make a note of it and pass it to your telephone service provider
• Report all nuisance calls to your telephone service provider initially. They will advise you on what you should do next
• If the call was abusive or threatening and you feel there is a genuine risk to your safety, contact the police
• If the calls are persistent your telephone service provider may suggest putting a trace on your line to gather evidence for the police. The police will require evidence of the nuisance calls before they can make an arrest. If you have a trace put on the line you will be asked to sign a declaration giving police officers permission to review your phone records
• Keep a log of all the nuisance calls you receive - including the time, date and details of what was said. This could prove useful if further action is taken
• If you’re receiving nuisance phone calls, but you do not want to involve the police, you could ask to have your telephone number changed. This can be arranged through your telephone company, but there may be a charge for this service
• If you receive a lot of telemarketing calls you may wish to register with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS). This is an organisation that keeps a list of people who do not want to receive telemarketing calls. For more information contact the TPS on 0800 398 893 or visit their website by clicking on the link on the right