(no subject)
From the Nee Naw blog, The 10 Commandments of Dialling 999, many of which I'm sure also apply to 000, etc.
Also, stats on Australian 000 calls: although triple zero is for life-threatening emergencies and crimes in progress, less than half the calls to the number fit that description - 600,000 non-emergency calls each month. In about a quarter of these, the caller hung up as soon as the operator answered; in about another quarter, the caller didn't respond when the operator spoke, which in most cases means the number was dialled by accident.
This article notes: "It is an offence to deliberately call an emergency number for non-emergencies. The maximum penalty is three years' jail." Judging from Nee Naw, Britain needs a similar law. Or possibly to charge people for ambulance attendance, at least in some cases. (I was charged for the paramedics' attention after the bus crash in Chatswood; money well spent.)
Also, stats on Australian 000 calls: although triple zero is for life-threatening emergencies and crimes in progress, less than half the calls to the number fit that description - 600,000 non-emergency calls each month. In about a quarter of these, the caller hung up as soon as the operator answered; in about another quarter, the caller didn't respond when the operator spoke, which in most cases means the number was dialled by accident.
This article notes: "It is an offence to deliberately call an emergency number for non-emergencies. The maximum penalty is three years' jail." Judging from Nee Naw, Britain needs a similar law. Or possibly to charge people for ambulance attendance, at least in some cases. (I was charged for the paramedics' attention after the bus crash in Chatswood; money well spent.)