Police allege man made false emergency call to get faster service

A recent incident in which a 20-year-old Geraldton man is alleged to have called police and reported a false story to get faster assistance isn’t a reflection of the community’s trust in the police response rate, according to Geraldton police Senior Sergeant Brad Bird.

Grant Troy Densley appeared in Geraldton Magistrate’s Court on December 29 charged with creating false belief after allegedly telling police there were 10 people outside his house having a sword fight.

Five police vehicles and a canine unit responded to the false claim, but when they arrived on the scene they found two to three people engaged in a civil disagreement.

Prosecutor Carey Owen said Mr Densley told officers in a police interview he had lied so they would get there faster.

Sen. Sgt Bird said alleged incidents of that nature were extremely rare and hadn’t happened in the time he had served in Geraldton.

“This is a very, very remote incident and extremely rare and it does not happen because the public, the community of Geraldton, are well aware of the value of police resources and the need for them to attend incidents that are worthy of the attention of police,” he said.

Sen. Sgt Bird said creating false belief was a serious crime which, if proven, could carry a significant prison sentence or fine.

“It also puts the public at risk because police have to attend these incidents when required under priority, which means lights and sirens,” he said.

“And there’s a huge amount of resources involved when you’ve officers and vehicles and the time for them to attend these incid-ents.”

Mr Densley was not required to enter a plea and will next appear in Geraldton Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, January 19.