Use Emergency Line Responsibly - Nga
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 17 (Bernama) -- Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming has reminded the public to use emergency lines responsibly following the implementation of the new Next Generation Emergency Services 999 (NG999) system.
In a statement today, he said the upgraded system enhances resource and data sharing between emergency call centres and relevant central agencies, including real-time tracking of incident locations, which will significantly improve the efficiency of rescue and emergency response services.
“NG999 also incorporates advanced technologies, including data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI), to deliver emergency assistance more effectively,” he said.
The system officially began operating yesterday, replacing the Malaysia Emergency Response Services 999 (MERS999).
According to Nga, 169,015 fake or crank calls, or 2.28 per cent of the total MERS999 calls, had been recorded as of September this year.
Such calls, he said, not only constitute misuse of the system but also have serious consequences on response time and create safety risks when rescue teams are prevented from responding to genuine emergencies.
In this regard, Nga urged the public not to misuse the system, as doing so undermines the effectiveness of the country’s entire emergency response network.
He emphasised that making a fake call to the 999 emergency line is a criminal offence under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, which relates to misuse of network services. Offenders may be fined up to RM50,000, jailed for up to one year, or both.
Perpetrators may also be prosecuted under Section 182 of the Penal Code for providing false information to a public servant, an offence punishable by up to six months’ imprisonment, a fine of up to RM2,000, or both.
“Therefore, I urge the cooperation of all parties to prevent irresponsible actions of this kind, ensure public safety and allow strict legal action to be taken against offenders,” he said.
-- BERNAMA
