The British Police department will respond from now on to distress calls received in the form of text messages. The Government has approved for a new 999 emergency line to work in collaboration with the traditional call center.

Such a line would also be able to bring all the advantages of the regular emergency calls system. The distress signals will be just as easy to track as they have been until now. The fact that we are talking about a 999 text service is what guarantees that the text messaging service will work just as well as the voice calling one.

Such a system has high chances of being especially useful for the deaf and mute, as regular mobile communication is out of reach for them. People with such problems will take part in the testing for this concept in a primary phase.

Moreover, no regular mobile phone companies can guarantee that absolutely all sent messages will surely reach their destination. It is the same case with this one, as its users will have to assume the risk which would not have been present in the case of placing a regular phone call.

Text messaging has some disadvantages, such as the lack of immediate feedback from the Police department. Even more, the amount of time needed for typing a complete SMS in a clear way for the reader to easily understand.

Such a text message-based system has high chances of also being applied in America, as a result of the Virginia Tech massacre. This situation has proved the need for an alternative solution for making it as easy as possible for people to contact authorities and receive help in due time.

The text-based system will first reach the public as a trial version. A specific time for this has not been set yet and neither has been an estimate date for when it will reach national implementation.