Lives at risk as children use payphones to make hoax 999 calls!! Children making hoax 999 calls fr - Friday 30 August 2019

By Hartlepool Alert

Lives at risk as children use payphones to make hoax 999 calls!! Children making hoax 999 calls from payphones are risking lives, say concerned senior officers from Cleveland Police. 999 operators have received over one hundred hoax emergency calls since the start of the school holidays from telephone kiosks in Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, Stockton and Hartlepool. Just one hoax call can cost a life, as it could stop a real emergency getting through to police. 24 calls were made from the kiosk in Overdale Road in Middlesbrough, 10 from Dalwood Court in the town, and 7 from Bowesfield Lane in Stockton. In total 101 calls were made from 42 payphones across the Cleveland area. The calls range from children laughing down the phone, to being abusive and swearing, and calling about madeup incidents. Parents are being urged to talk to their children about human cost and criminal consequences of hoax 999 calls anyone prosecuted can face a hefty fine or up to six months in prison if convicted. Posters are to be placed in phone boxes and local areas to educate children, and schools liaison officers will be engaging with relevant schools over the next school year. Superintendent Emily Harrison said Put simply, these calls endanger lives. Children need educating at an early age about the 999 system and how to use and not abuse the lines and our call takers. Every hoax call can prevent a real emergency from getting through, which could be a child in real danger, or someone confronted with a violent and threatening situation. We will do all we can to educate and raise awareness with young children, but ultimately it is the responsibility of parents to have those conversations. Persistent offenders will get a criminal record which will impact their lives and future opportunities. Examples of some of the calls have been released by Cleveland Police to further highlight the problems being caused.

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