Progress made, but more needs to be done to cut hoax 999 calls say Welsh Lib Dems

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have welcomed the news that malicious calls to the ambulance service have fallen over the last three years but have warned that more must be done to reduce them further.

Over the last three years 1,823 hoax calls were received and answered by the Welsh Ambulance Service.

With Wales and the UK in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic, Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds has warned Ministers must ensure ambulance services have “the resources they need to educate people over the dangers that malicious calls pose.”

Figures uncovered by the Liberal Democrats under freedom of information reveal there have been 1,823 hoax calls recorded by the Welsh Ambulance Service over the last three years.

Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds said:

“Anyone who maliciously calls for an ambulance is putting lives in danger. An ambulance that is diverted to a hoax is one that is unavailable to save a life elsewhere.

“With the Covid-19 pandemic, we all know the strain that our health staff are under. Ministers must therefore ensure ambulance services have the resources they need to educate people over the dangers that malicious calls pose.

“The Coronavirus crisis is an unprecedented threat. It is leaving the most vulnerable in our communities at risk and people are rightly worried about their loved ones.

“The people in our ambulance service are putting their lives on the line every single day to protect us. In turn, we have a moral obligation to do all we can to protect them.”