Joint statement from Humberside Police, Humberside Fire and Rescue Service and Yorkshire Ambulance Service
Emergency services were alerted to a report of a serious ‘incident’ in north Hull in the early hours of this morning 18 June 2018.
Police officers attended and, after initial investigations were carried out, it was quickly established that an individual had placed a hoax call.
Three appliances from Humberside Fire and Rescue Service also attended after they had received hoax calls. Yorkshire Ambulance Service were called out by Humberside Police officers owing to the nature of the reported ‘incident’.
North Bank Commander Chief Superintendent Phill Ward said:
"I want to remind individuals who think it's a good idea to behave in such a way of the seriousness of making such calls and the effect they can have on all emergency services.
"Hoax calls are not always obvious to our call handlers, and we treat them in the same manner and as seriously as any other calls we receive.
"Resources can be deployed which take vital staff away from attending genuine jobs, and distract them from responding to serious incidents. This can put lives at risk and has the potential of putting members of the public in danger.
"A hoax call made by an individual can also lead to them being arrested and prosecuted."
Humberside Fire and Rescue Service’s Director of Emergency Response Niall McKiniry was equally critical of such action:
“Sending a significant amount of firefighters and appliances to what turns out to be nothing more than a hoax is, at best, frustrating and, at worst, deadly.
“The public rightly expect that we are ready to help them at a moment’s notice around the clock, but wasting time and money attending fictitious incidents costs seconds, if not minutes, which sadly can be the difference between life and death.”
Andy Pippin, Sector Commander (A&E Operations in Hull and East Riding) at Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, said:
“Misuse of the 999 system is extremely irresponsible.
“Hoax calls can put lives in danger as they divert our ambulances, which can be a lifeline in a medical emergency, away from those who are in genuine need of time-critical medical help.”
A teenager has been arrested on suspicion of attempting to pervert the course of justice and is currently in custody.