Samu in Ribeirão Preto, SP, received 1,800 prank calls in five months The Mobile Emergency Care Service (Samu) in Ribeirão Preto (SP) recorded 1,812 prank calls between January and May this year, according to data released by the institution. According to the survey, the 192 telephone center receives around 12 false calls per day in the city. Last year, 5,493 prank calls were recorded. ?Click here to follow the g1 Ribeirão e Franca channel on WhatsApp Currently, Samu de Ribeirão Preto carries out, on average, 166 services daily by sending basic and advanced support ambulances. The service has 17 ambulances and a team made up of 255 professionals, including doctors, nurses, nursing technicians, drivers and regulation center attendants. SAMU ambulances parked in Ribeirão Preto (SP) Reproduction/EPTV Calls can delay help According to the regulatory doctor of Samu de Ribeirão Preto, Leonel Figueira, false calls compromise the care of people who really need help. "Samu today has 12 prank calls a day and this affects society as a whole, where lives can be lost due to a call and it's nothing. Then another person may be in need and this can cause damage or even loss of life due to the lack of readiness to respond to what is really serious", he states. In some cases, teams are even moved to the informed address, mobilizing ambulances and professionals unnecessarily. SAMU ambulance parked in Ribeirão Preto (SP) Reproduction/EPTV According to Leonel, prank calls are practiced by people of different age groups. "They are children, adults, elderly people, all ages. Nowadays, we have children and adults committing this crime, which is hazing, and which disrupts the city's entire urgency and emergency system." Hazing is a crime Prank calling emergency services, such as Samu, is a crime provided for in Brazilian legislation. Depending on the situation, the conduct may fall under different articles of the Penal Code. Article 266 provides for a penalty of one to three years in prison and a fine for anyone who interrupts or hinders the operation of a public utility service. If the false communication leads to the initiation of a police investigation, article 339 may be applied, which provides for a sentence of two to eight years in prison. Falsely reporting the occurrence of a crime or misdemeanor to the authority may constitute an infraction provided for in article 340, with a penalty of one to six months in detention or a fine. According to Leonel, all false calls received by Samu are recorded and forwarded for investigation by the Civil Police. "Hazing is a crime and is subject to a penalty under state law. It can have an average fine of two thousand reais and a prison sentence of one to six months." Samu ambulance at Hospital das Clínicas in Ribeirão Preto (SP) Disclosure See more news from the region on g1 Ribeirão Preto and Franca VIDEOS: Everything about Ribeirão Preto, Franca and the region