Pressing "5" to identify your location to 000
August 20th, 2007 at 09:53pm
Good evening Stuart,
You just had a caller who said that if you pres "5" repeatedly when you dial 000 from a landline, it will reveal your location to the 000 operator. This information is incorrect.
000 has access to a caller ID system which is more useful than the one the public have access to. When you call 000 from a landline, the number you are calling from, along with information about the address the service is connected to, and probably some other information about the customer in charge of the phone number, is displayed to the 000 operator.
The "5" button is used for another purpose on the 000 service. When somebody calls 000 and the operator can't hear them, they put the call through to an automated system which asks the caller to press "55". This is used to confirm that the call is legitimate, and not a prank call. This was implemented a few years ago due to the sheer volume of prank calls 000 receives.
Have a great evening,
Samuel Gordon-Stewart
Canberra
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