Pegasus takes flight

How can the police make the 999 system accessible to people with speech impairments? Campaigner Chris Channon thinks he has the solution

On several occasions when I’ve had cause to use the 999 emergency call service to request the assistance of the police, my call has been terminated because I’ve had difficulty making myself understood.

Fortunately, none of these calls were single-chance opportunities made in life-threatening situations – but what if they had been?

These experiences made me realise just how slender a lifeline the emergency call system is – since there is nothing to help call-handlers distinguish between the genuine speech-impaired caller and one who is drunk or making a malicious call.

The introduction of Minicom, Typetalk and SMS text facilities at emergency call centres has gone some way in improving 999 access for Deaf and some speech-impaired people.

However, these solutions require literacy, manual dexterity and technical knowledge or are dependent on specific technologies not available away from home.

After looking at emergency call systems around the world, I have spent three years working closely with Nottinghamshire police developing my own solution to the problem.

Pegasus is a secure database that contains the names, addresses and other information volunteered by people who, like me, would find it difficult to give this same information via the spoken word in a time of crisis.

Those registered with Pegasus are issued with a personal identification number (PIN) to use when making a call to the police.

Once put through, the caller only needs to say “Pegasus” and their PIN. This enables the call-handler to access that person’s details from the database. The caller is then asked to confirm their name. The call-handler can then quickly get on with dealing with the situation that prompted the call.

The Pegasus PIN can also be shown or told to a police officer in person who can use the information on the database to offer assistance.

A Pegasus pilot scheme has been running since April, and will run until the beginning of 2009, when it will be evaluated – although Nottinghamshire police have said they will allow Pegasus to continue beyond that time.

Pegasus will be unsuitable for some – but it has proved popular with those who can use it.

At the time of writing, 81 people are on the database and it has enabled a number of them to receive a more prompt and improved response.

Pegasus has also attracted the interest of other police forces and has the support of Sir Bert Massie, the former chair of the Disability Rights Commission.

With many disabled people now living in the community, we should ask ourselves if the 999 system is truly “fit for purpose” and how we summon help or report the crimes committed against us.

• For further information, email cyrr@nottingham shire.pnn.police.uk