Woman phoned police to report stolen snowman

A woman has been slammed by police after she called the emergency services to report that her snowman had been stolen.

Kent Police has released the transcript of the conversation between a 999 operator and the foolish female who was concerned because she’d used pound coins for the snowman’s eyes and teaspoons for its arms.

Kent Police Force’s chief inspector Simon Black said: “We have spoken to her and advised her what is and what isn’t a 999 call is, and this clearly was not.

“This call could have cost someone’s life if there was a genuine emergency and they couldn’t get through. It was completely irresponsible.”

Kent has been severely affected by snowfall over the past week with the police force’s contact and control centre receiving more than 8,000 general and 999 calls in the past 48 hours.

The woman rang in to say she had just looked outside her house and noticed that the snowman had gone.

She said: “There’s been a theft from outside my house. I haven’t been out to check on him for five hours but I went outside for a fag and he’s gone.

The operator asked the unnamed lady what had been stolen and she replied: “My snowman. I thought that with it being icy and there not being anybody about he’d be safe.

“It ain’t a nice road but you don’t expect anybody to nick your snowman.”

Chief inspector Black added: “We do have powers to prosecute people for misusing the 999 system, but in this case the woman genuinely thought this was a theft that she should report it because she’d used pound coins for the eyes and teaspoons for the arms.”