Boy called police after being banned from Xbox account

The boy, calling from Peterborough, was asking to be transferred through to Microsoft as he had been banned from his X-Box account.

The call was initially treated as a possible cover for a more serious emergency.

A police call handler used yes or no questions and advised the boy to press ‘55’ on the keypad if he was in danger but unable to speak.

It was quickly established that the call was not an emergency and that the boy simply wanted help getting back into his Xbox account.

In a statement, Cambridgeshire Police said: "The boy was given strong words of advice and told that misuse of the 999 line is a criminal offence.

"He was also told that he could face a maximum penalty of up to six months in prison or a fine of £5,000 for persistently misusing 999."

Police warned that hoax calls and non-emergency use of the 999 system can have serious consequences.

The force said: "These types of calls tie up our resources and divert crews away from real, potentially life-threatening incidents.

"Please help us keep our phone lines free for genuine emergencies by educating friends, family members, and children about the dangers and risks associated with hoax calling."