Silent 999 calls - It's no joke to hoax

Dear Resident,

It was alarm bells for one call handler when we received fourteen 999 calls from the same number in the space of just ten minutes. The caller didn't say anything, but in one call, a muffled "shut up, shut up!" was heard, before they hung up. 

We often receive silent calls from people who are in an emergency but don't feel safe to speak, so we thought that might be the case, and the call handler immediately got to work trying to work out what was happening. 

The call was quickly traced to a school in East Cambridgeshire, and thanks to some help from a member of staff at the school, we were able to identify the calls as hoaxes, and find out who was responsible. On this occasion, the children were given a firm warning and advised about the dangers of hoax calling, explaining that misusing the 999 system can cost lives.

It is important you speak to children about the serious dangers of making a hoax call. Some children do not realise the danger they are placing others in and may see it as part of a practical joke. 

Please help us by making your children aware that if they make hoax calls they are endangering other people’s lives. Learn more about hoax calling: https://www.cambs.police.uk/police-forces/cambridgeshire-constabulary/areas/campaigns/contact/hoax-calling/ 

Kind regards,