Number’s up for silly calls
Misuse of 000 link places lives on line
POLICE in Cairns have warned that valuable time is being wasted by callers misusing the 000 emergency service.
Assistant Commissioner Paul Taylor said: “Last year we had almost 59,000 calls for 000 and we’re still getting people ringing up with inappropriate requests.”
Some time-wasting questions to 000 included where is the best pizza, what is the taxi number and how do I get home?
The police link line (131 444) is for non-emergency crime matters.
AN INFLUX of people misusing and mixing up the police hotlines has impacted the response to incidents across the Far North.
The Cairns Communications Centre is one of 15 centres across the state, which triages information that relates to the local region.
More than 123,000 calls for service were made last financial year (2017/18). But not all calls were made to the right police lines.
Assistant Commissioner Paul Taylor said there were a large number of people mixing up 000 with the Policelink line (131 444), which could potentially mean the difference between life and death in an emergency situation.
“Call 000 if you’re under threat, either personally or property-wise, and if the crime is occurring then,” he said.
“The Policelink line is for those other matters where crimes have occurred and it’s not an emergency.
“Unfortunately, people are confusing them and it’s resulted in a bit of anxiety, so we want to get it right.”
Policelink is described as an “information-taking line” and should be used to report matters that have already occurred and have no immediate danger.
Assistant Commissioner Taylor said while Far North residents were to be commended for providing vital information to police, it was crucial the correct channels were used.
“It’s really about making sure we’re investing our resources that are out on the road as smart as we can.”
He said people who maliciously misused the 000 line would be prosecuted.
Communications operator Constable Scott Barber said people calling 000 for noise complaints and break-ins were the most common misuse of the emergency line.
Member for Cairns Michael Healy urged people to know when to use 000.
“It’s important that people appreciate that the information police receive allows them to respond quickly,” he said “To do that police need to be able to correlate that information so it’s got to come in through appropriate channels.”