The emergency number has been free to call from all landline and mobile networks throughout the European Union since 2008. In 2009, member states decided to designate February 11 as European 112 Day each year. At that time, the number was not as well known as it is now, but it is still important to continue to pay attention to this day. Awareness can always be improved.
Operators
In the Zeeland-West Brabant police unit, callers to the emergency number 112 reach the Operational Center in Bergen op Zoom. There are 112 operators available 24 hours a day to take your emergency calls. They are men and women who are very skilled at asking the right questions and quickly coordinating to transfer your emergency situation to the right people who can resolve it as quickly as possible.
Our 112 police operators are a very important link in the alerting process. They can make the right assessments about which police units are needed where in an emergency. They are, as it were, the spider in the web of emergency services. They must keep an overview of all 112 reports that come in. And for the police part of the operational center, in Bergen op Zoom alone, there are more than 100,000 reports annually.
Lifeline
Because 112 can be a lifeline, it is very important that the police have enough control room operators. Currently, this is not the case. Therefore, we are looking for more operators who will staff the 112 hotline. Are you someone who is interested in a job as a control room operator, or do you know someone you think would be exceptionally suited for this? Click here for more information.