Devon and Cornwall police are appealing for help in tracking down a hoax caller who has been bombarding them with false siege and bomb claims. The suspect has made about 45 hoax calls from public and roadside emergency telephones.
The calls have been made from locations as far apart as Axminster and Newquay - usually during the evening at weekends.
The maximum penalty for making hoax calls to the police and wasting their time is seven years in prison.
Fire and ambulance services have also fallen victim to the hoaxer who has also reported accidents and assaults.
Calls have been made from places including Wilmington, Honiton, Clyst Honiton, Okehampton, Landrake and Liskeard.
Police also believe that some calls have been made from West Dorset.
Acting detective sergeant Peter Trudgeon said: "The emergency services have received over 45 hoax calls believed to be from the same person.
"This has resulted in hundreds of hours being wasted responding to these calls.
"Each time the emergency services respond to a hoax call, they are delayed in dealing with genuine life or death situations.
"The caller is male, with a non-local accent and appears to have a distinctive voice."
In the last 12 months the force received 25,000 inappropriate or hoax calls.
Police say the public should call 999 only if there is an immediate danger to life, an immediate risk of serious injury, a crime is in progress or is about to happen, or if an offender is still at the scene or nearby.
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This has resulted in hundreds of hours being wasted responding to these calls. 
