Murdo Fraser MSP has hit out at the “shocking” number of malicious calls made to the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) in Mid Scotland and Fife.
Date supplied by the SAS to the Scottish Conservatives through Freedom of Information reveals that a total of 97 hours’ resource time was spent on these calls over two and half years, with a total of 76 such incidents during this period from January 1, 2023 to October 31, 2025. The Scottish Ambulance Service attended 65 of these.
A previous Freedom of Information request showed that there had been more than 11,000 malicious calls to the SAS over the past decade.
Commenting, Mr Fraser said: “Malicious and hoax calls waste significant ambulance time, potentially thousands of hours, tying up critical resources needed for genuine emergencies.
“These shocking figures are very concerning and highlight how each misused call delays help from Scottish Ambulance Service staff, and risks lives in Mid Scotland and Fife. Ambulance services must treat all calls seriously, but these malicious incidents consume valuable minutes and money, diverting paramedics from real emergencies and burdening an already stretched system.”
Mr Fraser continued: “Many residents in Mid Scotland and Fife will be aware that the Ambulance Service has been stretched in recent years so having to deal with hoax calls is another issue they could do without.
“When most people phone for an ambulance it is usually as a result of a serious medical matter and can often be a life or death situation. In cases like that every minute and second is vital so I am asking people who make these malicious phone calls to think about this and stop.
“It is very interesting to read the response we were sent by the Scottish Ambulance Service as they state that the data they sent us does not include the total time spent by the dispatcher, supervisor, crews or the subsequent time reviewing the calls, time spent investigating and potentially prosecuting persistent offenders.”
