Gardaí couldn't find child reporting sexual assault due to cancelled 999 call

There was also evidence of an “inconsistent approach” to children calling 999, in one case where a call taker was abrupt in asking for a child’s name and did not ask for a location before the child ended the call. File Picture: iStock

There was the “potential for serious harm” to victims due to shortcomings in how 999 calls were handled, which could mean that crimes were not reported or investigated and some offenders were not brought to justice.

The latest report into the handling of such calls found that it was not possible to determine whether serious harm had happened to an individual who had called 999 due to cases where the caller or the potential victim were not identified.