BENGALURU: There has been an uptick in crank calls received this year by the Namma 112 emergency helpline which operates from the police commissioner’s office. These are silly or mischievous calls made by unknown people to pass time or indulge in fun, but they eat up valuable time and resources.
Statistics released by the Integrated Command and Control Centre reveal that 669 such calls were received from January to March 2024, as compared to 455 crank calls during the same period last year and 446 in 2022. These are different from the 800 to 850 genuine calls (calls for service) received on average per day from the public.
An integrated services firm, Bharat Vikas Group, with its 180 personnel, two-thirds of whom are women, answers calls landing up on the toll-free number 112 in three shifts 24x7.
“Almost 99% of the crank callers are men, some of whom are drunk too. The only women making such calls are those who are mentally disturbed. We had an instance of a male caller who made 60 calls in a single day across our shifts. There are six known callers who keep calling repeatedly. Many men call up the number just to engage with women handling the calls, who sometimes find themselves at the receiving end of vulgar talk or unspeakable abuses too,” a source told The New Indian Express. If the call lands up on a male executive’s desk, the caller disconnects it immediately, the source added.
However, since any call could be a genuine emergency, no number is blocked, and every call must be answered. In the case of genuine distress calls, there is an escalation of calls between 6.30 pm and 1 am when crimes happen, another source said.
“The police station within the limits of the complaint is alerted, and the Hoysala team is asked to visit the spot immediately, even in cases of small issues. A small argument between a couple or among neighbours can blow up and end in a big crime. So, everything is treated seriously. One caller once called and complained about a neighbour who was smoking, while another called to speak about someone who had dumped garbage in front of their house. They all come under public nuisance cases,” the source added.
Asked about the huge volume of crank calls received, Police Commissioner B Dayananda said that such calls are unavoidable. “Every call needs to be given importance. We are doing our best to weed out repeated callers who simply make calls. Those taking calls, too, are handling them better now. We have in place a system of geo-fencing whereby only calls pertaining to Bengaluru land up at the call centre here,” he elaborated.