Turkish emergency line grapples with false calls

ANKARA

Türkiye’s emergency call system is under growing pressure from a high volume of false and unnecessary calls, prompting the government to propose tougher penalties to deter misuse of emergency services.

According to official figures, nearly three in every ten calls made to the call center in the first three months of the year had no real emergency behind it, comprising 30 percent of the total calls.

Similarly, last year’s data showed that only 34 percent of calls were genuine, while 28 percent were deemed false.

In response to this rising misuse, Turkish lawmakers are amending existing laws to impose stricter penalties on individuals making false calls and misusing the emergency line.

Under the proposed changes, individuals who call the emergency call center to engage operators or persistently leave irrelevant messages will face a fine of 1,500 Turkish Liras (roughly $40), up from 250 liras ($7).

If a dispatched emergency team determines that a report is false and documents it with an official report, the individual responsible will be fined 15,000 liras (around $393). Repeat offenses within a year will result in the doubling of these penalties.

With the changes, authorities seek that tougher measures will ease the burden on emergency services and help ensure faster, uninterrupted access for those in genuine need.