Campaign Launched To Stamp Out Hoax 999 Calls

Mon, May 15, 2006

Source: Teaching Times

A national schools campaign has been launched to tackle young pranksters who make an estimated 50,000 hoax 999 calls a year.

A national schools campaign has been launched to tackle young pranksters who make an estimated 50,000 hoax 999 calls a year.
 
Persistent abusers endanger lives and annually waste £84 million of taxpayers money and risk having their mobiles cut off if police trace calls back to them.

Vodafone’s Hoax Impact campaign is being spearheaded by Falklands veteran, Simon Weston, following a successful trial in West Berkshire. Now, he is writing to more than 10,000 Head Teachers with details of how their school can get involved.

The Hoax Impact campaign was initiated in collaboration with Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service, West Berkshire Education and Business Partnership and neighbouring schools. As part of the campaign, Vodafone has commissioning a poster by teenage art student Sophie Ness with the message: ‘Hoax Calls Waste Time, Waste Money, Waste Lives’.

The campaign encourages school children to use photography and other media as part of their curriculum to devise a special poster to illustrate the devastating effect spoof calls can have on the hard-pressed emergency services.

Simon Weston said: “I know better than most what it is like to be rescued, and I have a profound respect for the brave men and women of our emergency services.

“Hoax Impact can make a real difference by raising awareness – and I am appealing to schools to join with Vodafone to deliver this vital message to kids.”

 Hoax calls put firefighters and resources in the wrong place at the wrong time - which could have disastrous results when there’s a real emergency and lives are at stake.

Chief Fire Officer, Iain Cox, from Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service, who helped pioneer the campaign, said: “Hoax calls put firefighters and resources in the wrong place at the wrong time - which could have disastrous results when there’s a real emergency and lives are at stake.

“We want to educate young people about the risks and ask them - how would you feel if it was your family who needed us – would you think it was funny to send a fire engine out on a hoax call then?

“Hoax Impact is a tremendous success because it allows us to deliver these messages in a creative and memorable way.”

Teachers wishing to know more about the Hoax Impact campaign are invited to email life.savers@vodafone.com or log on to www.staywise.co.uk.

www.teachingtimes.co.uk