Thursday, July 24, 2008

Police post 'lost glasses’ 999 call on YouTube

A woman who dialled 999 to ask police for help finding her glasses has been shamed after her local force posted a tape of the call on the internet.

The recording, in which the woman says she needs her spectacles to peel potatoes for her lunch, was one of 11 posted on YouTube by Avon and Somerset Constabulary.

The force has adopted the radical tactic in an effort to discourage time-wasting “emergency” calls.



One caller dialled 999 to report his wife for failing to leave him any food to eat. Another rang to complain that the poor bus service in his area left him with sore feet from having to walk.

A woman who wanted to report an injured pigeon, a stranded man hoping for a lift home and a college student asking police if they knew when the internet was invented were among the other nuisance 999 tapes posted on the web.

Hoax callers can face up to six months in jail, a £5,000 fine and can even have their mobile phones disconnected.

You can hear the other calls here.

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