D Friday, September 18, 2009 METRO 15 999? Tell me, is Michael really dead? A POLICE force has hit out at time- wasting callers who rang 999 to check if Michael Jackson was dead. Seven worried fans made calls on the evening the 50-year-old King of Pop col- lapsed at his LA mansion and later died on June 25. They called the emergency-only number desperate to confirm if the news of his death was true. Other bizarre calls the force has dealt with include Can you help me get BBC2 on my television? and Can you tell me the opening times for the swimming pool? One mother even rang the helpline of Northumberland Police in the UK want- ing to speak to her son who was being held in custody to ask him where the TV remote was. Angie Price, customer relations man- ager for the forces communications cen- tre, said nuisance callers can face prose- cution and possible jail. When we get these calls, usually we offer strong words of advice regarding the 999 system because its for emergen- cies and these calls arent emergencies, she said. Quite often we get people who ring 999 and ask for the ordinary number. More often than not, it should be life- or-death situations. Our staff try to be professional and polite with these callers but there is a time when you have to be robust. A mother wanted to speak to her son in custody to ask where the remote con- trol was, because his dad couldnt find it and was losing his temper. She said another bizarre and inappro- priate call was from a man who called saying he had taken a picture of his cat and when it came out it looked like it had a beard. East Midlands Ambulance Service also reported problem calls. One person rang saying a patient had stopped breathing. But when they arrived at the scene, the casualty turned out to be a pigeon. The police now have a call history sys- tem which enables them to see if previ- ous hoax calls have come from the same caller or if there is a domestic issue. By roger weathers Its enough to make your flesh crawl: Zombies walk around New yorks times square to promote halloween extravaganza Purgatorio Picture: Getty Thriller nighT MJ: Dead or alive? gods prophet is facing prison A MUSLIM sect leader who claimed to be Gods prophet has been recaptured after three years on the run. Abdul Kahar Ahmad was charged in 2006 in an Islamic court with spreading false teaching, blasphemy and violating religious precepts. Ahmad, 59, denied the charges and later went into hiding to evade trial. He faces 11 years in jail and six strokes of the cane if found guilty. Doubles? No, you might hurt partner A womAn with Parkinsons Disease has been asked not to attend her table tennis club on doubles night for fear she might injure her playing partners. Lynne Tombs, 56, accused her U3A (University of the Third Age) at Tewkesbury, in England, of discrimination after the decision, which does not bar her from quieter nights. index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html24.html25.html26.html27.html