The Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency announced on the 30th that it will strictly respond to false 112 reports and prank calls ahead of April 1st, April Fools' Day.
Under the One Strike Out policy implemented since 2018, false and prank reports will be strictly punished.
The provincial police agency stated that if a false report is clearly intentional and serious, or if there is habitual behavior even with minor content, the individual will be criminally charged or summary trial requested for obstruction of official duties or violation of the Minor Offenses Act, even for a single occurrence.
Sexual harassment of police officers receiving 112 calls under the pretense of reporting will also be treated as sexual violence (obscene acts using communication media) and subject to the One Strike Out policy.
Repeated reports and verbal abuse unrelated to crimes will be warned or guided first, and if there are complaints about police work, solutions will be sought in coordination with the responsible department.
According to the provincial police agency, false and prank reports in the past three years reached 287 cases in 2020, 249 cases in 2021, and 229 cases in 2022.
As the police criminally charged or requested summary trials for 233 people in 2020, 249 in 2021, and 222 in 2022, false and prank reports have decreased annually, with only one case occurring on April Fools' Day in 2020.
This year, three people who made false or prank reports were criminally charged, one of whom was detained, and eight were subject to summary trial requests.
Among them, a man in his 50s from the Changwon area who made 23 false reports to 112, including threats such as "I will set fire to a motel" and "I will commit suicide with a knife," was detained on charges of violating the Information and Communications Network Act and the Minor Offenses Act.
In January, a man in his 50s who moved between Changwon and Miryang and made eight false reports claiming a specific vehicle was driving under the influence was charged with obstruction of official duties and other offenses, and in May last year, a man in his 40s in Gimhae who repeatedly made prank calls saying "Okay" or "Did you get it?" without any reason was charged with violating the Minor Offenses Act.
In June of the same year, a woman in her 30s who, while intoxicated, falsely reported that she had killed her husband, causing the dispatch of five police cars, one ambulance, and 15 personnel, was fined 10,000 won in a summary trial.
The provincial police agency emphasized that false and prank calls waste public authority and can prevent saving lives that could be rescued.
A police official said, "If you make false reports to 112 out of curiosity, as a prank, or to relieve personal dissatisfaction, your family or neighbors who are truly in danger may not receive help in time," and added, "Please cooperate so that the police can communicate with those who truly need help in crisis situations."
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