Tragedies, dramas and prank calls at West Midlands Police 999 hub

Whether it's dealing with tragedy or boy racers and drunks, the 49-year-old is the reassuring voice on the other end of the phone for those dialling 999.

She is one of a team of operators who man the telephones at West Midlands Police Contact Centre in Bournville, Birmingham.

Mrs Malone, of Wall Heath, began manning the phone lines 13 years ago after being made redundant from her bank job.

"I thought it would be nice to help people in my own small way," she said.

During this particular night shift, Mrs Malone is one of 12 answering the phones. At busy times this can double to cope.

Tonight there are four calls where the person on the other end of the phone has hung up before saying which service they want. These are forwarded by BT operators in case there is someone to speak to. If not, a message is left or checks made to see if the number is familiar, such as belonging to a regular victim of domestic violence.

But among the more serious calls is from a female employee at Dudley's Aldi store, in Peartree Lane. A drunken man has been asked to leave the store after trying to buy alcohol and became enraged when he was refused. He has left the store but is hanging around outside disturbing customers.

Mrs Malone takes the details which are sent to officers.

About 7.45pm, an 80-year-old man in Tipton called to report youths kicking balls over his garden wall and knocking on the door. She notes his age, that this has happened before and dispatches a police team.

The most pressing calls receive an 'immediate' response grading, while an 'early' response means officers aim to respond within an hour, the category the elderly man fits into. A 'routine' response means a visit later that day.

Another call is from a woman whose ex-partner will not leave her house and he has been violent previously. She is told to lock the door and wait for police. A Sainsbury's customer in Coventry reports young drivers doing dangerous 'doughnuts and figure eights' in the supermarket car park. He struggles to describe the location. It is up to Mrs Malone to pinpoint it.

And there is the call from a visiting American in Amblecote who has watched a car full of youngsters in baseball caps throw eggs at passers-by, including a pregnant mother.

His voice is calm but the most difficult part of Mrs Malone's job is dealing with those who aren't.

"Some people speak really fast and if you ask them to slow down then they can get frustrated," she said. Her worst experience on the other end of the phone was the death of a baby.

She said: "When the call finishes, you just have to let it go. I have to get on with it and I can't be emotional."

There are also silly calls, including one where a hysterical woman called screaming about somebody being 'dead in the garden'.

Mrs Malone said it turned out to be pigeon killed by the family cat.

"You get people who will call and say: 'I don't think this is an emergency but I have just arrived home to see someone running out my back door'. It's clearly an emergency. But then you'll get the pigeon in the garden – which really isn't an emergency."