Households who repeatedly call police to complain about neighbours’ bins or noisy children playing in the garden during the day risk being banned from contacting the force, North Wales Police has warned. In a strongly worded social media post at the weekend, the force revealed it had dealt with four antisocial behaviour callouts in just 24 hours over such “trivial” disputes.
Officers said the volume of non-criminal complaints was placing a significant strain on resources at a time when serious crime demands urgent attention. A statement on the North Wales Police North Flintshire Facebook page said: “If it’s not criminal and you continue to cause a demand on North Wales Police when you have been advised the matter is not criminal – we seek orders to stop you contacting us.”
“It sounds harsh, but we have a LOT of crime to deal with, and our resources need to be focused on this.”
The move is believed to be the first time a UK police force has explicitly threatened contact bans for repeat offenders who ignore advice that their grievance is not a police matter, reported The Guardian.
Trivial calls have long plagued forces across the country. Last year, the Metropolitan Police disclosed that only 15 % of 999 calls were genuine emergencies. Among the recorded incidents were complaints about a spider in a bedroom, a dog refusing to come inside, and delivery drivers who failed to show up.
Greater Manchester Police has repeatedly urged the public not to dial 999 over issues such as a ticket machine that swallowed change, a late takeaway order, or disputes with retailers over returns policies.
Victim Support has criticised the approach, warning that contact bans could deter people from reporting genuine concerns. Jessica Brooks, area manager for Victim Support Wales, said: “Antisocial behaviour can have a devastating impact on people’s quality of life, often leaving victims feeling anxious, isolated and frightened. An incident that seems relatively small or unimportant to begin with can quickly escalate and become very serious. Feeling unable to report this – or any other incident, crime or emergency – could have serious repercussions.”
North Wales Police Chief Constable Amanda Blakeman acknowledged the complexity of antisocial behaviour, saying: “We will always address ASB of a criminal nature, although certain complaints are dealt with by local authorities. Tackling this issue and understanding concerns locally is important to us.”
A government-backed review into police productivity published in 2024 estimated that more than 3.4 million officer hours a year could be saved across England, Wales and Northern Ireland by adopting more efficient processes for handling antisocial behaviour and burglary calls.
Police urged the public to use 999 only when there is a threat to life, someone is in immediate danger, or a crime is in progress or has just been committed. Non-emergency issues should be reported through 101 or local council channels where appropriate.
The warning comes amid growing pressure on stretched police resources, with forces nationwide struggling to balance public expectations against the need to tackle serious offending.
Express.co.uk has contacted North Wales Police for further comment.