how do I remove a missed call notification? I don't want to disable missed call notifications

And I don't have a "locked screen".

Somebody called me, I missed the call but I met them. I don't need to call them back, so I don't want to tap the missed call notification('cos I guess that'd call them back). How do I remove the notification without calling them back?
You can tap it, it won't call them. 

It just goes to the screen with telephone numbers on it.

Another thing you can do, is in the notifications where it lists the missed call , then the first time round, it can also show "call back" and "message"  so you have 3 things you can push. The missed call , which goes to the numbers screen. Or the other two. So only one of those options will call them back. Once you restart the phone you still get the missed call notification but without those other options, still though, if you tap it it goes to the numbers screen, it doesn't immediately call them back.

It's not as bad as with tapping a number on the number screen, where if they're listed under "frequently called" then it calls them immediately, whereas if you tap them under the purely alphabetical list below "frequently called" then it brings up their details from which you can call them.

So tapping the missed call notification won't call them automatically  

You can swipe it too, though I suppose swiping might involve a tap, but a tap is fine.