17
Nov
2014
By Calvin at 14:10 GMT, 11 years ago
Press Release from Cumbria Police
A man has been sentenced to 28 days in prison following a hoax call to Cumbria Fire and Rescue.
Andrew John James Bell, aged 37, of no fixed abode, was sentenced on 8th November 2014 at North Cumbria Magistrates Court.
At 11:12pm on 1st November 2014 a 999 call was made to the fire service from a call box on Newtown Road, Carlisle. The caller stated that a timber yard at Beck Farm in Crosby on Eden was on fire – he claimed that he had received a call on his mobile advising him of the fire. When challenged he claimed he said his mobile phone had since ‘died’ but insisted he had been told about a fire.
Fire crews were deployed, however on arrival found that there was no fire. The call was reported to police who investigated the incident, and subsequently charged Bell with ‘giving false alarm of fire to Fire and Rescue Authority’.
PC Ian Carrick said: “Misuse of the 999 emergency number through hoax calls, as was the case in this incident, is an extremely serious matter. Such actions are irresponsible and in the worst cases can put the lives of members of the public at risk.
“In an emergency, seconds count. Abusing the 999 system could mean that resources are dispatched to incidents when in fact they are needed elsewhere.”
Bob Nixon, Head of Operational Support with Cumbria County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service, said: “We take malicious calls extremely seriously and have powers under the Fire & Rescue Service Act 2004 to pursue prosecutions via the Police.
“The swift identification of the caller and the custodial sentence in this case show what can happen to those that play with people’s lives and it should act as a wake-up call to anybody else thinking about making hoax calls.
“Malicious calls pose a real threat to the safety of the public as fire engines could be tied up when they might be required to save lives and property.”
TCPW Comment: Hoax calls are not just irritating to the emergency services they can really cost lives as the comments above clearly demonstrate. It’s also interesting to note how the police can easily trace the number back to the mobile phone and identify the caller. As a retired policeman I can tell you that it’s bad enough having to race through the streets to attend a real emergency situation. It’s absolutely demoralising to discover that the call has been made by some idiot for fun or nuisance. I’m therefore delighted that Bell has got his (probably unexpected) comeuppance and that the smile has now been completely wiped off his face! Good for the Magistrates!
