By GINNAH MINI
Police Commissioner David Manning has appealed to people to stop prank calls when using the toll-free number 112.
He warned that prank calls were offences and the police would take action against offenders.
“There are in fact offences under the Communications Act that we can seek corrective measures for those who continuously call in with prank calls,” Commission Manning said during the launching of the National Call Center last Friday..
“When you take up operator’s time by your nuisance calling, those minutes can be vital to responding to a genuine call.
“We’ll be talking to our telecommunications, if you call in using your numbers, we will be looking on how to minimize those prank calls even if it means barring your number from ever being used.”
Commissioner Manning said the National Call Center will enable people to report crime or call from help from emergency services responders.
“Lives will be saved, and people rescued from threatening situations, through the creation of PNG’s first dedicated Police National Call Centre,” he said.
“The RPNGC National Call Centre is a critical first point of contact for the public and will provide faster response times, with operators able to talk with people in distress to deal with their situation while emergency resources are dispatch.”
Staffed by specialist dispatch team and police personnel, the National Call Centre enhances coordination of emergency response, providing a coordinated response to 112 for police assistance.