During 2023, 360,941 calls were made on the emergency number 112. Only a quarter of them, 89,320, were relevant calls. As part of the activities to commemorate the day dedicated to 112 in Europe, an activity was carried out by the forces of order and the emergency services to create greater awareness about the responsible use of this number.
This year the activity took place in Gudja primary school and, in addition to children of various ages, the Minister of the Interior, Security, Reforms and Equality Byron Camilleri and the Minister for Education, l -Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation Clifton Grima, where everyone could see what happens when a person calls the number 112.
Minister Byron Camilleri said that of the 89,320 genuine calls that came into the 112 control room, 77% (68,797 calls) were cases of medical emergency and were addressed to the ambulance service of the Department of Health. 13% (11,747 calls) went to the Department of Civil Protection while 10% (8,570 calls) were addressed to the police. 206 phone calls went to the Armed Forces to offer the necessary help.
Minister Camilleri reiterated the need for responsible use of the 112 number because a hoax or prank call could mean the life of someone waiting to use this service. “The number 112 should only be used for emergencies. It is true that compared to two years ago, irrelevant or fraudulent calls on 112 have decreased, but we are still far from really showing civil sense in the use of the emergency line,” said Minister Camilleri.
Minister Camilleri also hinted at the strong investment that is being made so that the forces of order have the tools to respond to calls in a more effective way. In fact, every call on 112 is answered in an average of three seconds, therefore he appealed to the public to use 112 responsibly.
Minister Clifton Grima spoke about the importance of a complete education that also includes subjects beyond the curriculum. “The new National Strategy for Education 2024-2030 also focuses on education that leads you to rise as responsible citizens. We are doing this because the learning you take in schools is not only there to learn academic subjects, but also to lead you to be worthy citizens and take part in everything that is being done around you in a responsible way,” stated the Minister Grima.
Photos: MHSR/MEYR
