Sunderland man arrested after allegedly making five 999 calls in 24 hours to police to complain about NHS during crisis

A 60-year-old man has been arrested after allegedly making five 999calls in 24 hours to complain to police about the NHS.

The man from Sunderland is being questioned over repeated calls toemergency call handlers complaining about the NHS amid the coronavirusoutbreak.

Northumbria Police warned the public that anyone abusing the policetelecommunication system could end up with a criminal record.

A spokesman said the man was arrested on suspicion of maliciouscommunication offences after he did not listen to advice aboutmisusing the system.

He remains in police custody and is assisting officers with their inquiries.Chief Superintendent Neil Hutchison said: "We all have a part to playin combating the coronavirus, and I have been absolutely delightedwith the way our communities have come together over the last coupleof weeks.

"The majority of people have responded positively to the advice we'vegiven and have only used 999 in a genuine emergency and made in goodfaith.

He added: "However, there are some occasions when individuals abusethe 999 number and bombard us with nuisance calls.

"I would therefore like to reiterate that important message - onlyring 999 in an emergency, and anyone who does abuse that service canexpect to be dealt with robustly."

The spokesman said the number of people contacting the force onlineincreased by more than 50% last week, while the number of calls to 101fell by 15% compared with the monthly average.