Prank emergency calls are a problem in many countries. This is coming up as news in the DR because it's a new system. It will never stop completely but it should lessen.
"The National Emergency Number Association reports that phantom wireless calls account for between 25 and 70 percent of all 911 calls in some U.S. communities. The California Highway Patrol (currently the handler of nearly all California wireless 911 calls) estimates that between 1.8 million and 3.6 million of the 6 million wireless 911 calls it receives annually are phantom. U.K. police estimate they receive 11,000 phantom wireless calls per day to their 999 emergency number. The wide data variations highlight the need for further research to pinpoint the scale of the problem.
However, the problem is already serious enough to suggest that ignoring it could have severe ramifications for police and legitimate 911 callers.
Of all the 911 misuse and abuse problems this guide addresses, phantom wireless calls will show the quickest increase, unless addressed. The U.S. 911 system handles 500,000 calls daily, or about 183 million annually.1 One in four calls are from wireless phones, a tenfold increase since 1991.2 In the next five years, the number of wireless 911 calls is expected to double from the current 46 million per year3 to 92 million annually, potentially exacerbating an already significant phantom call problem.††"
Source:
Center for Problem-Oriented Policing | Problem Guides | Misuse and Abuse of 911
I guess there are actually other places with 'stupid people'... who'd a thunk it!