The “See Something, Say Something” Campaign Team of the Ministry of National Security has discouraged members of the public from placing prank calls to the 999 toll-free number cautioning that it interferes with security emergencies.
The Campaign Team, moving across various regions to promote awareness on personal security, has emphasised the importance of using the emergency number solely for its designated purpose, which is to report potentially suspicious behaviours that can threaten national security.
Mrs Akosua Danquah Ntim Sekyere, Team Lead of the “See Something, Say Something” Campaign, speaking to the media during the Northern Region’s visit, stated that feedback from communities gave the impression that the public was receptive to the campaign messages.
She said, however, prank calls posed a challenge.
Mrs Sekyere noted that the campaign had so far been productive as feedback from communities created such an impression, adding the only negative thing to the campaign had been prank calls.
She highlighted that a continual stream of irrelevant calls might obstruct the ability to address legitimate concerns from callers in need of assistance.
She advised against dialing the number unless there was a genuine concern or observation of a suspicious activity that deserved the attention of security agencies.
She said, “The campaign tagline says, “See Something, Say Something.” So, call only when you see something. If you have not seen anything, we encourage you do not to call 999.”
The “See Something, Say Something” is a citizen education campaign launched by the Ministry of National Security in 2022.
The campaign seeks to inform citizens on security issues and the need to report suspicious activities as part of the Ministry’s strategies to counter terrorism,
The campaign has adopted the acronym SALUTE to make it easier for people to describe suspicious acts when they call the emergency number.
This is to facilitate descriptions based on sizes and specifics of an object, activity, location, uniform or attire of suspect, time and equipment involved in any act that arouses suspicion.
