Teen arrested after armed police called to reports of 'stabbing' and 'house fire' in same Cambridgeshire street
A 16-year-old boy was arrested after emergency services – including armed police – were called to reports of a ‘stabbing’ and a ‘house fire’ in teh same Cambridgeshire street.
Armed police were joined by fire services and air and road ambulance crews following the calls last week.
However, it was soon discovered that the fire and stabbing had never happened, and were, in fact, hoax calls.
A 16-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of wasting police time.
A Cambridgeshire Police spokesperson said: “Last week we received an emergency call reporting that two people had been stabbed.
“This was treated as a priority incident and a significant response – including an ambulance, an air ambulance, and an armed response vehicle – were mobilised.
“While on route, we suddenly lost contact with the caller who phoned in the stabbing, after they hung up and rejected all our call-backs.
“Police officers and paramedics arrived to the stabbing location to find nothing, apart from two fire engines, who were driving up and down the road.
“Firefighters had been dispatched to the same location following reports of a house fire, which they could see no sign of.
“After a short while, the air ambulance, fire engines and armed response officers were stood down after both calls were confirmed as hoaxes.
“The stabbing and the house fire, had never really happened.
“Officers soon tracked down the caller, a 16-year-old boy, who was arrested on suspicion of wasting police time.
“The emergency services constantly operate under extreme pressure. Responding to hoax calls like this take valuable time and resources away from those most in need – where a life could be at risk.
“In this instance, one person's actions resulted in a large emergency response, which diverted police officers, paramedics and firefighters away from people who could have been in serious, life-threatening situations.”