FOI 88/26 Hoax Calls

Date: 18/02/26

Enquiry Reference: FOI 88-26                                                                                  

I write in connection with regards to your Freedom of Information request.  Below is your request and our response.

For each of the calendar years between 2020 and 2025, is it possible to please tell me how many "hoax calls" were made to your force, and how many of them led to an armed police unit - from your force - turning up to a property under the assumption there was an active threat that needed to be dealt with?

1. a) The analyst has provided the below table BUT cannot determine if:

• It was attended under the assumption there was an active threat that needed to be dealt with
• If any damage was done to property by police

Below is the volume of incidents recorded as PS30 - Hoax calls between the times requested. They have also searched for the volume attended by armed response. The volume of incidents attended by armed response are identified with using their unit code and therefore the data relies on the data codes being present.

For each instance, could you please tell me if the caller who made the hoax call was subsequently charged (this would have likely been under the offence of malicious communication) and if any damage was done to the property by police (i.e. broken down doors - please specify if so), that had to subsequently be compensated for by the police (please tell me by how much in £ if so). 

1. a) See answer to Question 1.

Over this period of time, could you also please tell me how many people were charged with making hoax calls to countries outside of the UK (In the US, for example), telling me the location of the country they made the hoax call(s) to? 

The analyst looked into whether the suspect of the hoax calls was charged by looking at the malicious communications crimes valid within the given time period and using a keyword search of ‘hoax’ within the MO comments there were none that fell in the remit of your question.

Having made enquiries within the Force above is all the information we hold.  Please note that all statistical data supplied in relation to Freedom of Information requests is a snapshot of data held at the time the request was received by the Freedom of Information office and is subject to constant change/updates.

The Cleveland Police response to your request is unique and it should be noted that Police Forces do not use generic systems or identical procedures to capture and record data therefore responses from Cleveland Police should not be used as a comparison with any other force response you receive.

If you are not satisfied with this response or any actions taken in dealing with your request, you have the right to request an independent internal review of your case under our review procedure. The Freedom of Information Code of Practice (see below link) states that a request for internal review should be made within 20 working days of the date on this response or 40 working days if extenuating circumstances to account for the delay can be evidenced. Public authorities are not obliged to accept internal reviews after this date.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/freedom-of-information-code-of-practice

Yours sincerely

Information Rights Decision Maker