New data shows Hertfordshire has the highest number of prank calls recorded in the UK

Hertfordshire Police receives the most prank calls in the UK, according to new data.

Statistics uncovered by Home security specialists, SimpliSafe, via a Freedom of Information request shows the highest number of prank calls were received in Hertfordshire.

In Hertfordshire between September 2020 and September 2022 49,740 hoax calls were made which averages out as 68 prank calls per day.

SimpliSafe’s findings show this criminal activity is on the up in Herts with an increase of 27% recorded between 2021 and 2022.

England as a whole received 91,290 hoax calls between 2020 and 2021 and 102,930 between 2021 and 2022 - that’s a 13% increase in calls in a year.

The biggest percentage increase year-on-year was London, where prank calls grew 200% in the consecutive year. However, there were some outliers, with North Yorkshire Police in particular experiencing a 52% reduction in prank calls year-on-year with numbers dropping from 4,968 to 2,389.

UK general manager at SimpliSafe, Jonathan Wall, said: “The amount of hoax calls the police received across the UK is very worrying, especially when the emergency services are stretched so thin. These calls are a waste of resources and misdirect help from the people who really need it.

“There are plenty of precautions and measures that the average person can take to help protect themselves, whilst taking some pressure off the emergency services; such as cameras outside your home and a good alarm system.

“Of course, if there is a genuine situation that requires the help of the emergency services, the right course of action is to dial 999. Ensuring that you’re fully protected and aware of what constitutes an emergency will help ensure you get the right help when you need it most.

"With a SimpliSafe security system backed with professional monitoring for example, the professional monitoring centre will use the Indoor Camera to visually verify an incident, then will request police dispatch to your home. The live video footage from the visual verification process shows there’s a genuine crime in progress, rather than a potential time-wasting, phoney incident or false alarm. In the event an incident cannot be verified, our professional monitoring centre can still dispatch one of their guards.”