Domestic abuse victims with secret phones warned about national emergency alert test
The Victims’ Commissioner for the West Midlands has put out a message to vulnerable people around the forthcoming national emergency alert system test.
Nicky Brennan has posted a video on the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner's Twitter page to remind victims of domestic abuse and other vulnerable people to turn any secret phones alerts to silent when the UK Government tests the new emergency alert system on Sunday, April 23 at 3pm.
At that time, all compatible mobile phones and tablets in the UK will receive a test message and there will be a loud siren-like sound for up to 10 seconds, followed by a text message with information about the test.
All phone users will receive the alert even if their phones are on silent and Ms Brennan said that it was essential for people with secret phones to turn off alerts.
She said: "On Sunday, April 23, the government will be testing its mobile phone emergency alert system. It's designed to warn people of major incidents such as flooding.
"However, for many victims of domestic abuse, a secret phone is a vital lifeline and the alert could put you at risk."
A secret phone for domestic abuse and violence victims may be a phone with a private number or a pay-as-you-go mobile.
The test is being carried out to ensure that the system is working properly, and that people know what to expect if they receive an alert in the future.
However, as Ms Brennan stated, for a survivor of domestic abuse with a secret or secondary phone, the government’s new emergency alerts could reveal their phone, even if it’s on silent.
In the video, she provided information on what to do in order to turn off alerts on Apple and Android phones.
"Even if your secret or secondary phone is on silent, it will still make noise, so it's vital that you switch them off in your settings." she said.
"On an Apple iPhone, simply open the settings, open notifications, scroll down to the bottom and disable the extreme alerts and severe alerts options, tapping the green sliders so that they turn grey.
"On an Android phone, simply search your settings for emergency alerts, turn off severe alerts and emergency alerts by, again, turning the sliders grey.
"This will mean that there will be no noise on the emergency dial."
