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.
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