Man arrested in Limburg for over 800 false 112 emergency calls in 16 days

A 37-year-old man from Oirsbeek, Limburg, was arrested on Monday after calling the emergency line 112 excessively over a period of 16 days. He threatened and scolded the dispatchers and at times remained silent during the calls, the police reported on Tuesday. He will be charged for assault.

According to ANP, the man called the emergency number 112 over 800 times within 16 days. This represents around 50 calls per day on average. The motives behind his frequent calls remain unclear to the police.

Every year, the police receive hundreds of false reports and notifications. In 2022, the emergency number 112 was dialed nearly 3.5 million times, with 37 percent of these calls being discarded as they involved misuse or abuse of the service.

“This causes police and other emergency workers a lot of unnecessary work and is considered a serious offense,” the police wrote.

Individuals who make false emergency calls are committing a crime and will be tracked down, warned the police. The repercussions of such actions could potentially involve community service or incarceration.