Head of Demand reminds public only to use 999 in an emergency this summer

Cambridgeshire Constabulary’s Head of Demand, Mike Branston, is appealing for the public to think twice before dialling 999 this summer.

On average, calls to 999 increase by 10.4% during the school summer holidays.

As the force works hard to tackle the heightened demand that the summer months bring, misuse of 999 is still an issue the constabulary’s control room face year on year during the summer.

Many children who are not at school think prank calling 999 is a harmless joke, but the reality is that hoax calls can cost lives. During July and August, emergency call handlers are already experiencing more calls that require a real emergency response, so cannot afford to spend time on the line dealing with hoax callers.

People abusing the emergency line could be preventing a genuine emergency from getting the help they need, and the cost of that could be someone’s life.

Please also be advised that misusing the emergency line and hoax calling is a criminal offence.  You could face a maximum penalty of up to six months in prison or a fine of £5,000.

Detective Superintendent Michael Branston, Head of Demand, said “Please help us by ensuring your children and family members understand the seriousness of hoax calling 999, and the consequences it can have. Together we can ensure everyone across Cambridgeshire has a safer summer by keeping 999 free for real emergencies.”

“Many people also call 999 without a genuine emergency, and whilst our phone lines are under constant pressure, you can help us by ensuring you only call 999 if a serious offence is in progress or has just been committed, someone is in immediate danger or harm or a serious disruption to the public is likely.

“101 is our non-emergency number. However, a lot of our non-emergency calls could be resolved using the wealth of services available on our website.

“Those with online access are urged to use live web chat or online reports where possible. These are dealt with in the exact same way as calling 101.

“If there is an emergency, we want people to call us, confident in the knowledge that we will respond quickly. However, if the public are calling without genuine emergencies / hoax calling, it makes it more difficult for us to provide a timely response to those in genuine need.”

The force’s latest campaign ‘It’s No Joke to Hoax’ aims to discourage hoax calling amongst children whilst they’re off school this summer.

You can read about it here: It's No Joke To Hoax | Cambridgeshire Constabulary (cambs.police.uk)