Sussex Police are appealing to the public at their busiest time of year, to only call if they have a genuine emergency.
It's after they received a call one year from someone saying their snowman had disappeared.
They say that the majority of people do phone for the right reasons, which is important for keeping their phone lines free for people who genuinely need help.
Chief Inspector Anita Best said:
“Our dedicated team of Sussex Police contact staff will be sacrificing their own time with loved ones to be on hand 24/7 over the festive period to help those in need.
“We are asking the public to play their part in helping our contact staff do their jobs effectively, by not keeping the phone lines busy with calls that are not a police matter.
“Unfortunately, we do continue to receive nuisance calls and this could delay help being provided to someone in serious danger. We will not hesitate to prosecute anyone who is persistently wasting our time and potentially putting vulnerable people in Sussex at risk.”
Sussex Police is reminding the public that 999 should only be used for genuine emergencies where there is a risk of harm to life or a crime in progress, and 101 for non-emergency police matters.
Members of the public can also report non-emergency crimes online – these reports are triaged and assessed in the same way as 101 calls.
Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne said:
“The Force’s Make the Right Call campaign highlights this message and I would like to reiterate it: please be sure to contact the police for a genuine reason and using the right method.
“Any holiday period is always a busy time for the emergency services and this Christmas, when staff numbers may be low due to the pandemic, it’s more important than ever that lines are kept clear for genuine calls to Sussex Police.”
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