Lahore: Prank callers give Rescue 15 a break following blast

[Naveed Yaseen]

* Rescue 15 officials say people making calls to console staff, boost morale
* SP (Mobiles) says Rescue 15 office to be established at different location, law minister disagrees

By Rana Tanveer

LAHORE: The number of emergency calls being received at the Police Rescue 15 has significantly decreased following the bombing of the Rescue 15 building and almost no prank calls have been made to the department.

The Rescue 15 building was destroyed in the Wednesday blast, forcing police to re-establish it at Qurban Lines after 15 hours of suspension of services.

After the blast on Wednesday, the city’s crime ratio remained low and as no murders or major fires were reported. There was only one minor fire incident at a fireworks godown, which extinguished itself.

Console: Rescue 15 officials said most people who made calls to the authority consoled them and expressing their solidarity before informing them of their problem. They said the people had suddenly started behaving much nicer to them. A phone operator said children and women were making calls to show their solidarity with them and express their sympathies at the loss of their colleagues. He said receiving such calls boosted their morale. He said the number of prank calls being made to the authority had significantly decreased, adding no prank calls were made on Thursday. He said only a few were made on Friday.

Superintendent of Police (SP) (Mobiles) Imran Mahmood, who is also incharge of Rescue 15, said the Rescue 15 office had been temporarily set up at Qurban Lines, adding 20 of 25 telephone lines had been restored. He said the number of calls being made to Rescue 15 had reduced. He said about 40,000 calls were received in a day prior to the blast, adding currently about 25,000 calls were being received daily. He said the calls might have reduced as five telephone connections were not being used or because people were not sure if Rescue 15 was operating.

Location: The SP said the new Rescue 15 office would most likely be constructed at some other location, adding the location had not been finalised yet. However, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah on Wednesday said the Rescue 15 office would be set up at the same place to show the terrorists that the nation was not frightened of them.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...009_pg13_5