A hoax call saw police, armed police, a dog unit and the Ambulance HART team dispatched to a non existent incident.
Kingsbridge Police posted in Facebook, explaining how hoax call can costs lives.
Whilst the police were dealing with the hoax, they were unable to attend a genuine emergency nearby.
“In the early hours of this morning a 999 call was received from a male who stated that he had been kidnapped from Nottingham and had managed to escape his captors and was somewhere in the Modbury area.
“A few minutes later the Ambulance service received a 999 call about a male who had been stabbed in the neck and was not breathing. The calls were both from the same number and the same location was given.
“The Ambulance HART team was dispatched from Exeter who deal with serious incidents, along with Armed Police, A Police Dog Unit, and local Officers from Kingsbridge. After a while it was established that the calls were malicious. At the same time a 999 call was made to a genuine emergency in Salcombe which local Officers were unable to attend due to the hoax call.
“To make a hoax call to the emergency services is not only illegal, but it can cost lives” Kingsbridge Police