A Garda superintendent in Co Mayo has issued a warning to phone pranksters following an incident in which the communication rooms in two of the main Garda stations in the county were linked up via mobile phone and the subsequent conversations posted on the internet.
The practical jokers rang the station in Westport on one mobile phone. Then a second mobile was used to ring the communications room in Castlebar. The phones were then held together and the conversation recorded.
The brief ensuing conversation between two puzzled Garda officers has been downloaded from the internet on a number of radio stations.
Supt Patrick Doyle, who is based in Westport, said it was the first time to his knowledge that gardaí had been targeted in such a way but there had been at least one other incident locally where two taxi-owners were victims of the prank.
"This was a very serious incident," Supt Doyle explained. "It was a clear instance of Garda time being wasted. It could have had serious implications if there were emergency calls waiting to be dealt with."
Supt Doyle warned the perpetrators that the incident is being actively investigated. He highlighted the severe penalties in store for those found guilty of wasting Garda time or making a "nuisance call" in breach of postal and telecommunications legislation.