Police are urging the public to only ring 999 in an emergency after one man rang Nottinghamshire Police’s control room 68 times over a 90-minute period.
The Newark resident consistently contacted the control room in September, even hanging up on officers when they tried to find out what was wrong.
Officers visited the address only to find the male drunk in bed. He required no assistance and was instead wasting the emergency services’ time.
Other examples include an intoxicated Mansfield resident ringing 999 to help him out of his shed.
He told the emergency services “he didn’t know where he was” and asked officers for more beer. He later said he did not need the police.
A disgruntled motorist also called the police after a city centre garage failed to accept his fuel voucher.
Chief Inspector Christopher Sullivan said:
“These are just a few examples of the number of hoax or inappropriate calls we have recently received.
“These calls take away valuable time from our officers who need to attend real-life emergencies or crimes that affect our residents, some of which will be life-threatening or life-altering.
“The 999 number is not there to be called for trivial matters.
“Calling the 999 number 68 times over a 90-minute period when drunk is unacceptable. Officers attended the address and found the man in bed. This is a complete waste of our resources.
“We are now approaching one of our busiest times of the year – Christmas – and there is a lot of pressure on our service. We are reminding people that they should always call 999 if a crime is in progress or an immediate risk to life and safety.”
We have compiled a video playlist for our YouTube channel of some of the most ridiculous 999 calls ever made. CLICK HERE to check it out.
Before you go...
WE NEED YOUR HELP.Here at Emergency Services News, we aim to tell you stories that the mainstream media are not interested in reporting. Whilst the MSM love to berate and ridicule the emergency services, who is there to report on the realities of serving on the front line?
Emergency Services News is currently a loss-making entity. But our team of volunteers, all former emergency services personnel, do not do it for the money.
We do it because we are sick and tired of the mainstream media constantly trying to undermine the men and women who put their lives on the line to keep you and your family safe.
How many MSM journalists who speak ill of the emergency services have actually dared to don the uniform and risk their own lives to save the life of a complete stranger? If you would like to help back our mission of reporting on fact-based news, then please consider helping to support us financially.
You can support emergency services news from as little as £1. It only takes a minute. Every contribution, however big or small, is vital for our future.
Please help us to continue to highlight the life-saving work of the emergency services, NHS and armed forces by becoming a supporter.
