Number's up for 999 hoaxers
Hoax callers to 999 operators have been caught by a new number-display system.
Callers' numbers flash up on operators' consoles, enabling officers to call them back, check on their safety and advise them.
Senior Superintendent Peter Hunt said that following the one-month trial on Hong Kong Island, the new equipment will now also be installed in command and control centres serving Kowloon and the New Territories.
He said: 'We have already had several cases where the system has proved its worth. Some cases led to the arrest of hoax 999 callers and we have caught children making nuisance calls. We have also been able to confirm the location of people in danger.' The $7 million system is crucial when people do not know their location or have no time to give it.
Of the three million 999 calls each year, three per cent are malicious hoaxes.
