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Pub-ed, enforcement reduce hoax calls for fire emergencies

Since 2001, the program has dropped hoax calls from 1 per day to 1 per month

The Barking & Dagenham Post

LONDON — Fire chiefs were celebrating today after figures showed they had succeeded in bringing down hoax calls from around one a day to one a week.

Barking and Dagenham firefighters dealt with 35 hoaxes a month in 2001 — just over one a day — but the number fell to six a month, just over one a week, last year.

The London Fire Bridgade said it had worked with mobile phone companies to cut the lines of hoaxers and used youth programmes to explain the consequences of nuisance calls.

Chris Daly, fire brigade commander for Barking and Dagenham, said: “We have taken a number of measures to root out hoax calls and now attend far fewer than before.

“But we’re not complacent and will continue to work to drive down the number of calls like this we receive.”

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