KUALA LUMPUR: There have been over 160,000 prank emergency calls recorded, says Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming.
He said people need to be responsible when calling the emergency services.
Nga called on all Malaysians to use the emergency services line responsibly following the implementation of the Next Generation Emergency Services 999 (NG999), which replaces the Malaysian Emergency Responses 999 (MERS999) system from now onwards.
"The new system will increase resource and data sharing between emergency call centres and relevant central agencies, including tracking the location of the call.
"This will improve the efficiency of rescue and emergency services.
“It (NG999) uses advanced technology, including data analysis and artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver emergency assistance effectively,” Nga said at a press conference on Monday (Nov 17).
Nga reported that, as of September 2025, 169,015 prank calls, which account for 2.28% of the total MERS999 calls, were recorded.
“Fraudulent calls are not just a form of system abuse but have serious implications when delaying response time,” he said.
Nga said the public should not misuse the system, as doing so would compromise the effectiveness of the entire national emergency system.
“It should be emphasised that making a prank call to the 999 emergency line is a criminal offence that can be prosecuted under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
"It is an abuse of network services and is punishable by a fine not exceeding RM50,000 or imprisonment not exceeding one year or both.
"One can also be charged under the Penal Code (Section 182) for providing false information to a public servant, punishable with imprisonment for up to six months or fined up to RM2,000 or both," he said.
Nga urged all parties involved to cooperate so that there are no more irresponsible incidents.
"We want to ensure public safety as otherwise strict legal action will be taken, " he said.
