111 texts on the way

Police could soon let people text in an emergency instead of calling 111.

A new system which police have asked suppliers to provide costings on could also be used to send mass emergency messages, such as warning of a gunman on the loose, or find a person by tracking the source of their cellphone signal.

Police spokeswoman Philippa Sargent said it was not always practical for people to dial 111 for help, such as when a person was unable to hear, or in a situation where speaking would put them in danger.

"It could be they have a hearing impairment or that they are mute, or they are in a situation where they don't want to speak."

Ms Sargent said police had asked for proposals from possible suppliers and would evaluate these before deciding whether to purchase a system. Neither Vodafone nor Telecom was aware of the proposal when contacted yesterday.

Other features could include the ability to automatically analyse messages and prompt the sender for additional information such as their location, and the ability to assist with interpretation of text language.

The public could also send texts or pictures to police in non-emergency situations, including "for the purposes of reporting crime in an anonymous or tipoff way, or because it is more convenient".

There are more cellphones than people in New Zealand, but it is not known how many New Zealanders have a cellphone. Some mobile users have more than one phone.

Deaf Aotearoa New Zealand chief executive Rachel Noble welcomed the move, which would give the deaf more options to call for help.

She said deaf people were taught to dial 111 and leave the phone off the hook in an emergency, but this was not always practical.

The system would help provide deaf people with equality of access to emergency services, Ms Noble said.