Harrow Woman Racks Up 1,194 Nuisance 999 Calls in Just One Year
Sonia Nixon from Harrow has earned the unwanted title of one of the Metropolitan Police’s top repeat 999 callers, ringing the emergency line a staggering 1,194 times in 2023 alone.
Multiple Mobiles, Massive Mess
Between 2021 and 2023, Nixon used 17 different mobile numbers to flood the Met’s call centre. This relentless prank calling placed her as the fifth worst offender in that stretch of time.
Arrested and Charged Over 600 Offences
On 10 January, officers from Greenhill & Harrow on the Hill Safer Neighbourhood Teams arrested Nixon for 668 breaches of the Communications Act 2003. She faced 670 charges in total.
Things went downhill fast after her arrest. Nixon racially abused a police officer, leading to an additional arrest for racially aggravated public order offences. She even urinated inside the police van, resulting in a further charge for criminal damage.
Costing the Met Thousands and Blocking Genuine Calls
The Met estimates Nixon’s abuse of the 999 system cost around £4,500 in just five months. Her nonstop prank calls severely delayed responses to real emergencies, clogging the line for those truly in need.
On 18 March, Nixon was convicted for 696 of the 999 calls and four racially aggravated public order offences against emergency workers. She was handed a five-year Criminal Behaviour Order.
- Ordered to contact 999 only in genuine emergencies
- Mandated to alert emergency workers of her new calls
Shutting Down Abusive Callers is Vital
Over 25% of emergency service calls don’t involve policing, with abusive callers costing the Met more than £2 million annually and hindering real emergencies.
Superintendent Matt Cray said: “This was a superb result and testament to the hard work and dedication of the community policing team to bring Sonia Nixon to justice. She has been a massive drain on local and wider Met resources, consistently abusing our emergency workers with vile and racist behaviour, as well as causing a menace on the streets.”
“Thanks to the excellent work by officers, we can now prevent further instances of her high volume calling, safeguard the 999 service, and ensure resources go where they are really needed. This helps restore trust and confidence in our local communities.”
