Thames Valley Police are taking part in a national trial, run by the Royal National Institute of the Deaf (RNID), which has been launched to improve emergency access for those who are unable to use the 999 voice service.

Registered users will be able to make emergency SMS contact with any of the emergency services from anywhere in the UK. Users will not be charged for using the service.

The trial is the result of a co-ordinated effort by a Ggovernment-led working group to establish a national service for SMS access to the emergency services - police, ambulance, fire rescue and coastguard.

Currently, those who are hearing and/or speech impaired can contact the police by using the Typetalk facility and the emergency 18000 prefix. All Typetalk calls received are responded to in the same manner as calls made from any landline, mobile telephone or public call box. The emergency SMS service is in addition on to the existing 999 and 18000 services that are available in the UK. The SMS message will be converted into a 18000 textphone call and connected to 999 through the text relay service.

A text relay assistant then speaks the SMS message to the 999 service, then types the reply, which is converted into a SMS message and sent back.

In addition, Thames Valley Police is working towards the introduction of a multimedia system which will allow the public to report minor crimes and incidents electronically, which will be launched in several phases later this year.

Chief Insp Hugh Matthews, of the Force Quality of Service Department, said: “Thames Valley Police is pleased to support this service from the RNID, which will make us even more accessible to the deaf community.

“It is important that all the emergency services are available to every resident in the Thames Valley and this service is an important tool in ensuring the deaf and/or speech impaired community can contact us in a variety of ways.”

To register for the service, visit www.emergencysms.org.uk/news.php and follow the instructions.