§ Mr. DobsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many hoax 999 calls were 435W received by the Metropolitan police in the last five years for which figures are available; and what percentage of total 999 calls were received by the police. [148214]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeThe Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis has informed me that 999 calls received by the Metropolitan police are graded to the degree of the response required.
The category that contains hoax calls and calls to which a police response is not deemed appropriate is shown in the table.
Year Total number of calls received Total number of hoax calls and calls to which a police response not deemed necessary 1996 2,265,785 862,741 1997 2,335,653 961,500 1998 2,388,084 1,075,628 1999 2,250,164 1,194,380 2000 2,510,652 1,285,680 The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis has also informed me that 999 calls passed to the police and other emergency services by the telephone suppliers is estimated to be:
- Police—60 per cent.
- Ambulance—30 per cent.
- Fire Brigade—10 per cent.
- Coast Guard—Less than 1 per cent.