The National Police Agency (NPA) said yesterday that more than half of the calls made to the 110 emergency line last year were either fake or invalid reports.
“The calls were either silent, someone giving bogus information or imcomplete information, which misleads officers or delays our response,” said an officer from the NPA’s public relations department, who wished to remain anonymous.
NPA statistics for last year showed a total of 4.5 million calls were received, but 2.47 million of those calls were bogus.
“Some people think making fun of the police is fun, but such behavior can jeopardize the safety of those who really need help,” the officer said.
“Calling the police with insufficient information, such as names, phone numbers, or addresses can slow down our response, too,” the officer said.
He said those found making bogus calls would be punished according to the law.
He cited the case of a woman surnamed Chang (張) from Taipei City’s Wanhua District (萬華) who made more than 100 bogus calls to the emergency number from pay phones to report that her neighbors were running an illegal casino business.
She was eventually charged with making false accusations, he said.
The NPA’s standard operation procedure stipulates that a dispatched officer must arrive at the scene within 10 minutes of receiving an emergency call.
Statistics showed that last year the average response time was just eight minutes and 45 seconds.
All the calls were bogus, he said.
She was eventually charged with making false accusations, and the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office is reviewing the case, the officer said.
The NPA’s standard operation procedure stipulates that a dispatched officer must arrive at the scene within 10 minutes of receiving an emergency call. Statistics showed that last year the average response time was just eight minutes and 45 seconds.
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