DEVON and Cornwall Police received more than 200 hoax calls from January to June last year, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request has revealed.

Between January 1, 2024 and June 30, 2024, the force took 205 hoax phone calls on its 999 line, the FOI shows.

Over the past five years, Devon and Cornwall Police received around 400 fake calls per year.

The total number from January 1, 2019 to June 30, 2024 was 1962.

Hoax calls can be traced by police and hoax callers run the risk of a heavy fine or a prison sentence.

MP Anne Dixon asked the Home Office in 2024 what steps the Department was taking to help reduce the number of hoax calls to emergency services.

The Home Office said: ‘It is for Chief Constables and democratically elected Police and Crime Commissioners or Mayors to decide how to appropriately respond to all calls’