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'French Shakira' calls firemen 4000 times

Staff reporter
Staff reporter - [email protected]
'French Shakira' calls firemen 4000 times

A girl who makes 4000 calls a month to the French emergency service has been named one of the worst timewasters for the country's rescuers.

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Among the most disrupting is a case involving a 12 to 13-year-old girl who has called almost 4000 times in the last month.

During the call she plays songs by the Colombian singer Shakira, and occasionally insults her interlocutor. She calls so frequently staff have named her after her favourite singer, Shakira.

A mother once requested the fire service come to her house because she has promised her children that if they were good, a fireman would come to their window and let them climb down the big ladder.

Others mistake what is in fact a real emergency.  One caller urgently needed someone to come to his house to kill a pigeon that was staring at him from his window.

And staying with the bird theme – another panicked ornithologist called up out of concern for a swan swimming up the Seine. When she asked if she should do something, the telephonist replied “yes! Hang up!”

But there is a serious side to these prank calls. Anonymous callers don’t stay unknown for long thanks to new technology at the fire service.

Those found to be abusing emergency numbers can be fined up to €7,500 and can even be sent to prison.

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