Hoax calls received by the Emergency Services (FOI)

​Request

Please could you provide the cost of hoax calls to the emergency services for the past five years (2013 to 2017 inclusive).

Could you break down those costs by emergency service and indicate if any of the callers were identified and if any complaints were made against them.

Response

Information surrounding the cost of providing a response to a ‘hoax’ emergency call is not held by any of the emergency services.

Since January 2013, the States of Jersey Police have received 15 calls over the 999 emergency line that have been determined as either a deliberate hoax call or children being mischievous.

During the same period, the Jersey Fire and Rescue Service have no information recorded on hoax calls. The service have had a number of calls that are described as being ‘False Alarm / good intent’. Deliberate / malicious activation of fire alarms have not been included.

The Jersey Ambulance Service has recorded 23 ‘Hoax’ calls since 2013 although the service do not record the details and do not work out the costs. There also are times when someone called with good intent but there was no one there when the ambulance arrived (the patient had left the scene).

The States of Jersey Police have records of three prosecutions during this period. Sentencing ranged from a caution at Parish Hall, an individual being bound over to keep the peace for six months, to an individual receiving 180 hours community service and 12 months’ probation. There is one case currently ongoing.

The making of any hoax call to the emergency services can divert essential resources and may ultimately, cost lives. Other hoax calls to any organisation, eg a hoax bomb threat, may divert the emergency services and may cause economic loss and / or inconvenience to the organisation or individuals. The States of Jersey Police will, when sufficient evidence is available, seek to prosecute anybody who makes such malicious hoax calls.