The Islamabad Police reported that its emergency helpline, PUCAR-15, was inundated with prank and non-serious calls throughout September. Out of 192,914 total calls, more than 155,000 — nearly 80% — were found to be fake or irrelevant, according to official data.
Officials warned that such misuse hampers response times and prevents genuine emergencies from getting timely assistance. They reiterated that the helpline is strictly for reporting crimes, accidents, and life-threatening incidents.
Launched under the Safe City initiative, PUCAR-15 connects citizens with police, fire, and ambulance services based on their needs. However, Safe City Director General Shakir Hussain Dawar cautioned that prank calls waste valuable police resources and could endanger lives by delaying real emergency responses.
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He urged the public to use the helpline responsibly, emphasizing that it exists to ensure public safety and quick assistance — not for entertainment or false alarms.
