Stricter laws pushed as pranksters disrupt disaster relief efforts
PETALING JAYA: Amid concerns about the rising number of fake emergency calls during disasters, experts have called for stricter penalties and a deeper understanding of the psychological factors driving such behaviour.
Malaysian Psychology Association council member Prof Dr Rahmattullah Khan said the disruptive behaviour demonstrated by some people during crises included “seeking thrills and attention”.
“Some individuals are driven by the thrill-seeking aspect and the attention it brings during high-stakes situations.
“Others may find a sense of control in chaos, especially when disasters evoke feelings of helplessness,” he said when contacted.
Prof Rahmattullah added that the individuals might lack empathy and not fully understand the impact of their actions.
“These individuals may suffer from cognitive distortions, thinking their actions constitute harmless fun, or they might assume emergency services can manage the disruption,” he said.
To address the issue, the honorary professor at Universiti Selangor suggested a balanced approach of stricter penalties and higher awareness.
“Prevention through education might be more effective than punishment alone,” said Prof Rahmattullah.
“In some cases, psychological evaluations might help determine if certain individuals need intervention, such as counselling, rather than punitive measures alone.”
Malaysia Organisation of Psychospiritual Wellbeing deputy chairman Dr Adnan Omar also said that these “pranksters” have very limited or no empathy.
“Clearly, prank calls can be considered mischievous and may cause great harm, especially during disasters such as floods.
“To these pranksters, the calls may be nothing more than practical jokes or just for fun,” he said.
“Usually, these people who would go to the extreme just to have fun were at least indifferent or had little care, regard and concern for other people,” he added.
Dr Adnan said these prank callers need to be punished accordingly to at least serve as a deterrent to others who have the same intentions.
On Monday, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay revealed that out of the more than 1,000 emergency calls received by the Pasir Mas police headquarters regarding locations requiring assistance, 114 were found to be false.
He said that action under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act would be taken against these individuals.
The penalty for making false calls includes a fine of up to RM50,000 or a year’s imprisonment, or both.
