Emergency number 110
Citizens can use the emergency number "110" to receive fast and effective help from the police in emergency situations around the clock. At the police control centers, telephone computers signal the highest priority to specially trained police officers in these cases.
All necessary information from the person seeking help is recorded immediately and automatically checked for plausibility using a special computer system. After a tactical assessment by the police officers at the control center, radio patrol cars are dispatched to provide assistance - as close as possible to the scene of the incident.
While the radio patrol car is driving to the scene, all other necessary measures are coordinated in parallel at the control center. For example, additional police support staff are dispatched or the deployment of emergency services is arranged via the fire department.
If you need police assistance: Dial the free police emergency number 110!
To ensure that your emergency call is processed quickly and efficiently, it is very important for the police to have a few details:
Who is calling?
State your name.
What has happened?
Briefly describe what you have observed.
Where has it happened?
Give as much information as possible about the location where something has happened. If you don't know exactly where you are, a smartphone or car navigation device can help.
When did it happen?
Give the time or period of the event as precisely as possible.
How did it happen?
Briefly describe the sequence of events.
Why did it happen?
Was there something decisive beforehand? Are there any reasons for what happened?
Who is involved?
Give details of the perpetrator, victim and witnesses. If unknown, describe the people involved.
You can therefore reach the police free of charge in an emergency from any telephone line, whether it's a payphone, your home telephone or your cell phone.
Emergency fax for people with speech / hearing impairments
Most authorities have special fax numbers to which people with speech / hearing impairments can send a fax in an emergency. You can find a form for this here. These faxes are handled by the control centers in the same way as an emergency call.
Callback possible
To ensure that no emergency call is lost, all incoming calls are registered so that a callback is possible. Received calls are recorded. If a control center is overloaded due to a major situation, other control centers can also be integrated into the emergency call answering service.
The police control centers are equipped with state-of-the-art technology and answer several million calls a year across the country. Therefore, the 110 should always remain free for actual dangerous situations.
365 days / 24 hours available
Every police authority in NRW has its own control center where emergency calls are answered. Experienced police officers are on the phone there around the clock. When 110 is dialled, the police communication system automatically recognizes which city the emergency call is coming from and forwards the call to the correct police authority. Calls are almost always answered within a few seconds. If many calls are received at the same time, it is possible in exceptional cases that you may have to wait or hear a busy signal.
Failure of the emergency call
If the police emergency number 110 fails, you can still reach the police via the local landline numbers, by fax and on site at the police stations. In such cases, the police increase their presence on the streets.
Police, fire departments and rescue services can all be reached via app in emergency situations - "nora" makes it possible.
October 1 has established itself as Police Emergency Call Day. On this day, the police use their cross-media reach to bring people closer to the topic of emergency calls and how to deal with them.
The NRW police are currently receiving many calls on the emergency lines that are not emergencies. Many citizens are contacting the police with general questions about coronavirus, especially in the afternoon and evening. In principle, the teams in the control centers understand the questions in this context, but their job is to ensure that emergency services can be on site quickly in emergencies.
Therefore, please only use 110 for "real" emergency calls.
Coronavirus citizens' hotline
The municipal citizens' hotlines and the state government's citizens' hotline can answer questions about the current coronavirus regulations. You can reach the state government's ServiceCenter Monday to Friday between 8 am and 8 pm and on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am to 6 pm by phone at
0211-9119-1001
or by email at corona [at] nrw.de (corona[at]nrw[dot]de)
In addition, you can find more information on the Homepage of the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs of the State of NRW for up-to-date information on the corona pandemic.
