‘What they may not realise is that they are actually committing a criminal offence’ – ‘Funny’ hoax 999 callers wanted by police

Police Officer Kate Medlam said all the calls were made in the Hadley area of ​​Telford using a mobile phone.

She said some were quiet, while in others children could be heard “laughing and making silly comments.”

The officer said they intended to track down those responsible and make sure they knew that making false emergency calls was a criminal offence – and a potentially dangerous waste of police time.

She said: “A number of calls to emergency services were made to Hadley from a mobile phone, some of the calls were silent while in others children could be heard in the background laughing and making silly comments.

“Officers will identify the children responsible and, over the coming weeks, will visit them at home to discuss the calls and raise awareness of the seriousness of calling 999 when there is no emergency.

“We know that the calls are being made by children who probably think it is just a game or a prank, but they may not realise that they are actually committing a criminal offence.

“Making fraudulent calls to emergency services wastes valuable resources. If a silent emergency call is received, the police will follow up on the call to ensure the person is not in real danger and needs us.”