As of 11 February 2020, the emergency number 112 will get a phone menu. This should make it easier for those in need to reach the appropriate emergency service.

Every emergency is different. Various emergency services are available in the event of a fire, traffic accident, or medical problem. They each have their own emergency centres: you can reach the fire brigade or an ambulance via 112, or the police via 101.If someone chooses the wrong number, valuable – sometimes vital – time is wasted in forwarding the call to the right emergency centre. The new phone menu will put an end to this.

As from February, you only need to remember one number: 112. That, incidentally, is also the European emergency number. If you call 112, you will be presented with the following choices:

• for ambulance or fire brigade: press 1
• for police: press 2

The menu offers two major advantages: callers reach the right service faster. Plus, more lines remain free because operators spend less time on manual call-forwarding.

Don’t worry: even if you don’t make a choice, you can still speak to an operator. And if you choose the wrong option, you will still be put through to the right service manually. In any case, anyone calling the emergency number 112 will be helped as soon as possible.

The police station – at number 101 – gets the same phone menu. You will always be helped when calling this number too.