THOSE who make hoax calls are potentially putting lives at risk, a Police and Crime Commissioner has said.

Freedom of Information data obtained by the Leader has shown that hundreds of hoax calls were made to North Wales Police in the past five years across Flintshire and Wrexham - a total of 270.

Figures show that calls across Flintshire were at all time low in 2017 with 12, but this year that figure has almost doubled to 21.

However, data also shows that hoax calls have decreased across Wrexham this year with 17 (the lowest throughout the five years), compared to a total of 31 last year.

Arfon Jones, North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “Making hoax calls to any of the emergency services is a truly despicable thing to do.

“It is vital people understand the consequences associated with making fake emergency calls. They can prevent the police from getting to genuine emergencies and potentially put lives at risk as well as increasing the pressure on the police control room in North Wales.

“People need to think before they pick up the phone and decide who they really need to speak to. The inappropriate calls are bad enough - but for someone to maliciously dial 999 to take up police time, knowing they are making a false report, is simply unacceptable.”

Mr Jones recently launched a campaign in conjunction with the force to reduce the demand on the control room, which takes over 1,100 calls a day. Just 150 of those calls are reporting crimes.

This year, the force dealt with an extra 5,600 calls to 999 which equates to an 11.2 per cent increase.

Chief Inspector Jeff Moses, North Wales Police Call Centre Manager, said: “We receive a large number of hoax calls every year. This impacts upon our ability to answer genuine emergency calls. Those who make hoax calls are wasting vital services and could be endangering the lives of others by diverting them from those in genuine need.

“We take a robust approach to hoax callers. We see examples where individuals claim that weapons are being used, presumably to enable the caller to witness the police response and to cause distress. We carefully assess calls to identify potential hoaxes and make use of technology to identify them. The penalties can be significant.”

Freedom of Information data shows that the number of false calls have been up and down throughout the past five years, but for both counties, the highest year was 2015 - 37 for Flintshire and 36 for Wrexham.

In 2018, the highest month in Wrexham was both July and November with three calls made and the highest month in Flintshire was October, with four calls made.

The Chief Inspector added: “It can be hard to decide what is or is not an emergency, but the following scenarios are examples of where you should call 999.

“A life is in danger or someone is being physically threatened, or if you are witnesses to a crime happening at the time, or think the offenders are still nearby. You should also call 999 if you witness or are involved in a serious road traffic collision where someone is badly injured, or other vehicles are causing an obstruction or a danger to other road users.

“Some members of public are reluctant to call 999 as they appreciate that the 999 number is for emergencies only. However, we would always encourage callers to dial 999, rather than 101, if in doubt and where the urgent assistance of the police is needed. We will never prosecute callers who incorrectly contact us on 999 in good faith.”