red phone boxThis week's waste of EU money award goes to changing the telephone number for the police, fire brigade or ambulance from 999 to 112.

You may have missed it but yesterday was 112 day – promoted by the EU to get all of us to start using 112 when we need to call the emergency services. That number works in all EU countries, yet none of us seem to know it.

Brits want 999

The Brits are resolutely in favour of keeping 999. A survey found that the proportion of respondents who said they would call 112 in their own country ranged from 96% in Sweden to 1% in the UK.

The EU found that only 34% of regular travellers and 26% of all Europeans know that 112 is the single emergency number they can call, both in and outside their home country when in trouble.

So the EU has called on transport firms – airlines and ferry operators, as well as rail firms – to join a campaign to raise 112 awareness rates.

No cost to taxpayers?

Believe this if you like: "The emergency number will be publicised without cost to taxpayers on e-tickets, in on-board magazines, on their company websites and through their staff," the EU claims. At no cost to the taxpayer..... We have heard that one before.

Well they'll have a job convincing people to remember 112 - though I can easily remember the two 118 118 men.

According to the survey about two-thirds (65%) of EU-wide respondents said that they did not know which number they could call to contact emergency services anywhere in the EU, while a further 9% named an incorrect telephone number - not 112. Just over a quarter (26%) got the number exactly right.

Only in four countries, did at least 50% of respondents spontaneously identify 112 as the number to call for emergency services from anywhere in the EU:
  • Poland (60%)
  • Luxembourg (55%)
  • Finland (51%)
  • Netherlands (50%).

And, actually, things are getting worse. The survey said that just under half (47%) of all EU citizens said they would call 112 in the event of an emergency in their own country. This is down on last year, when 50% said they would call 112.

Mind you, a lot of people don't actually know what their traditional emergency services number is – that means Brits not knowing they should call 999. The survey found that only 86% of Europeans were able to mention a valid number whereas 14% either listed an incorrect number or were not aware of any. That can only get worse if we change the number.

Here's my suggestion for a better use of EU taxpayers money. Translate the phrase: If it ain't broke, don't fix it.