You won't believe it: In the past year, about two million calls were received that were defined as 'false calls' at the police hotline 100. The police, as well as the other fire department and United Hatzalah emergency hotlines, are frustrated and looking for a way to put an end to the phenomenon.
As part of these efforts, the Knesset is promoting a bill designed to deal with harassers. Initially, it was proposed to impose heavy fines on them. A bill on the subject even passed its first reading.
However, now, as the legislation continues through its second and third readings, it has been decided to opt for a different sanction - perhaps even more severe: disconnecting the harassers' mobile phone lines.
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News 2 reports that, as part of the process determined today (Tuesday) by the Knesset Constitution Committee, people who harass police and fire department workers will first receive a text message warning, prior to the phone line being disconnected, and then also a voice warning.
In cases where the harassers do not stop their actions, their mobile phone lines will be disconnected for two weeks. If they continue their actions after that, the line will be disconnected permanently.
At the same time, there is also a measure of mercy: the harassers will have the opportunity to attend a hearing, respond to the allegations against them, and thus also shorten the disconnection time, which will be carried out by the cellular networks.
Continuing the legislative process, the chairman of the Knesset Constitution Committee, Nissan Slomiansky, is expected to bring the bill for further discussion. Among other things, a decision is expected to be made on whether the law will apply only to police and fire departments, or also to other bodies such as MDA and United Hatzalah, which also suffer from the phenomenon.
