The incident occurred on 7 March in the evening. A resident of the Lubomierz municipality repeatedly called and blocked the emergency number. He verbally abused the operator, using vulgar words concerning the justice system in Poland, thereby disrupting the operators’ work system.
Police officers went to the identified address from which the calls were made. It turned out that the man was heavily under the influence of alcohol. The intervention ended with the preparation of a motion to the Court for punishment for unjustifiably blocking the emergency number.
In 2017, an amendment to Article 66 of the Code of Petty Offences entered into force, imposing sanctions on people who had previously used the 112 emergency line to report situations that often did not require the intervention of the services. In doing so, they triggered an unnecessary response from law enforcement and emergency services, while blocking the line and preventing people who might have needed immediate assistance from connecting.
The amendment to Article 66 of the Code of Petty Offences sanctions behaviour resulting from human malice, lack of imagination, as well as a lack of understanding for those for whom the 112 emergency number is actually intended.
This is how Article 66 §1 of the Code of Petty Offences now defines it (in force since 18 November 2017):
Anyone who:
1) intending to cause an unnecessary action, misleads a public utility institution or a body responsible for security, public order or health protection with false information or in any other way,
2) intentionally blocks an emergency telephone number without justified reason, hindering the proper functioning of an emergency notification centre, shall be subject to arrest, restriction of liberty or a fine of up to PLN 1,500.