Last week Latvian State Police (VP) and Emergency Medical Service (NMPD) received calls from a man in Kuldiga who reported a crime and a road traffic accident. Information of some man threatening another person with a knife and the road traffic accident involving a collision of two motorcycles turned out false, as reported by VP.
Police later identified the caller and launched administrative violation proceedings.
On 21 August VP received a call about a conflict in Kuldiga, Kabile Parish. The caller claimed that some person was threatening another person with a knife. The call was received at 00:45 a.m.
Police arrived at the scene. No one was there and no signs of a fight were found. Police tried calling the number that reported the incident, but no one answered.
Later that night, at 01:30 a.m. VP received another call. The person reported a road traffic accident not far from the previous address. The person said two motorcycles crashed into one another.
Police arrived at the scene along with an ambulance. Similarly to the first situation – no signs of an accident were found. Once again – the number police called back remained silent.
After inspecting the area, while driving past an apartment house in Kabile’s centre, the police patrol noticed a group of people. To check if any of them could have been the mystery caller, police stopped the patrol car and tried calling the number again. Observing the group of people police noticed one of them pulling a phone from a pocket of their jacket.
Officers then approached the group and asked the man to present his phone. Then police confirmed that he received a call from one of the police officers.
The man’s identity was confirmed and he admitted his guilt immediately.
Administrative violation proceedings were launched – for spreading false information and staging false reports to authorities. The penalty for this is EUR 35 to EUR 210.
State Police remind that false reports can put at risk other people’s safety when assistance from operational services is needed the most.