More than three in every four calls to emergency hotline 112 are either invalid or hoaxes, Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri said on Friday. 

Camilleri said that the emergency line had received 340,000 calls last year, with 260,000 flagged as either meant to be directed to another entity or “deliberately abusive”. 

The 112 emergency number is manned by the police but the task of addressing calls is shared with the army, the civil protection department as well as the ambulance service. 

Minister Camilleri urged the public not to misuse the hotline. 

Every misplaced call, he said, was taking up time from those truly in need.  

“This can mean the difference between life and death,” he said.  

The issue of misusing the hotline has been raised in the past, with the government urging the public to be responsible.  

The minister was speaking during an event at the Żabbar primary school to mark European 112 Day. School children were given talks and demonstrations by emergency responders.  

Young students were given demonstrations and talks on Friday to mark 112 Day. Photo: Christian Sant Fournier.

Camilleri, who was joined by Education Minister Clifton Grima,  said that around 83,000 genuine calls were received on the hotline in 2021.  

The most common request, he said, was for paramedics and ambulances, taking up 77% of the genuine calls.  

Another 11% required the police, with around 10% needing the civil protection department.   

Camilleri said a smaller percentage of the calls had even required the armed forces to provide assistance. 

This, he said, had been the case during a violent storm in November 2021, when AFM personnel had been dispatched to assist in delicate rescue operations.  

Photo: Chris Sant Fournier.

On his part, Grima urged the young students gathered to make good use of the hotline which he said was there for their own safety.