South and East Belfast Sinn Féin -- Building an Ireland of Equals

Appeal to stop hoax calls the Emergency services

Published: 25 May, 2007

Balmoral Sinn Féin representative Stiofan Long has appealed to those making hoax calls to the emergency services to stop. Mr Long's call comes after it was revealed there was, on average, 130 hoax calls made to the emergency services in the North each week.


Mr Long said,

"The weekly total of the number of hoax calls to the emergency services here is shocking. It is now running at an average of 130 calls per week. Hoax calls are a major problem because they divert our emergency resources away from potentially life-threatening and time-critical conditions.


"While the emergency services are dealing with these false alarms, there could be people in serious need of help somewhere else and these calls could cause fatal delays.


"It's extremely worrying that the amount of these calls is on the rise. They affect all areas of our emergency services. They can be depriving somebody in a life threatening situation of an ambulance or fire brigade. There is also the heavy financial cost of hoax call outs. A hoax call to the likes of the Coast Guard can cost thousands of pounds.


"It is hard understand the mindset of the type of person who would knowingly put the lives of innocent people at risk.


"My message is very much to all those people out there who have, or are thinking of making a hoax call, please don't do that. You are being totally irresponsible and you are wasting a valuable resource." CRÍOCH