BOGUS callers who abuse the 999 emergency service face being given an Asbo.
Between January and July this year, Thames Valley Police received 1,631 hoax calls and hundreds more inappropriate emergency calls, ranging from requests for supermarket opening times to complaints that pizza deliveries had taken too long.
Other calls included a man asking the police helicopter to pick him up from a traffic jam so he could get to an important meeting, a request to pick up someone’s daughter from a friend’s house and a caller trying to get a new passport.
There are no exact figures for calls where people dial 999 instead of the non-emergency number, but it is estimated to be in the hundreds.
Chief Supt Liam MacDougall, head of the control room and enquiries department, said: “Unnecessary 999 calls obviously mean that genuine callers with a real emergency to report may have difficulty getting through to us.
“The force is working hard to reduce the number of unnecessary calls precisely to ensure we are available when the public needs us.”
Many of the hoax and bogus callers are people with psychological issues, Mr MacDougall added.
He said: “We work closely with colleagues across the force and local authorities to identify those people who ring us because they have no one else to turn to, because of mental health and other social difficulties.
“Action plans can be agreed with individuals. This may involve using Acceptable behaviour contracts (Abc) to curtail the unnecessary use of the 999 system.
“If a person persistently misuses the emergency system, there are steps we can take to prevent further abuse.
“Their phone can be disconnected, an Anti-social behaviour order (Asbo) could be obtained or they could be prosecuted.
“Network providers assist us with terminating service to mobile phones that have been used in such a way as to block real emergency calls.”
The 999 system was established so people could contact police, fire and ambulance services in emergency circumstances, such as threats to personal safety or where a crime is in progress.
For other matters, such as the reporting of a crime that has already happened, people should call 08458 505505.
mwilkinson@oxfordmail.co.uk
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