Manchester woman calls police 990 times in a year, receives suspended sentence

A woman from Manchester, England who called the police 990 times over the course of a year has been given a suspended sentence of 16 months in prison per a statement issued by Greater Manchester Police on Friday, September 15, 2023.

The calls all took place between July 2022 and April 2023 and were placed to 999, the local emergency services hotline.

In May 2023 the woman was arrested and given a Criminal Behaviour Order, instructing her to cease contacting the police except in genuine emergencies. She continued calling nonetheless.

The calls typically were hostile and aggressive and prevented call center operators from freeing the lines for people facing genuine emergencies and dangerous situations.

The Woman's sentence has been suspended for 12 months according to the report.

Police statements

“There are some people who think it’s acceptable to waste police time and resources, may have been ahead of members of the public in the queue. Preventing people from receiving the help they need in a timely manner – it could be the difference between life and death,” Force Contact Centre Manager Matt Hindmarch, said.

“I’d like to thank officers across the force who have relentlessly pursued cases like this to bring those responsible to justice.

“We will continue to monitor and investigate these types of calls to identify those causing a nuisance on our 999 lines, we are committed to bringing them to justice for their actions to free up the queues for the people of Greater Manchester to receive the service they deserve from our police force.”