A 60-year-old man has been arrested after allegedly making five 999 calls in 24 hours to complain to police about the NHS.
The man from Sunderland is being questioned over repeated calls to emergency call handlers complaining about the NHS amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Northumbria Police warned the public that anyone abusing the police telecommunication system could end up with a criminal record.
A spokesman said the man was arrested on suspicion of malicious communication offences after he did not listen to advice about misusing the system.
He remains in police custody and is assisting officers with their inquiries.
Chief Superintendent Neil Hutchison said: "We all have a part to play in combating the coronavirus, and I have been absolutely delighted with the way our communities have come together over the last couple of weeks.
"The majority of people have responded positively to the advice we've given and have only used 999 in a genuine emergency and made in good faith.
"However, there are some occasions when individuals abuse the 999 number and bombard us with nuisance calls.
"Especially at this time, given the increased demand on all of us, the last thing we want is for people to have to wait on the phone to speak to one of our call handlers, but this type of behaviour has an inevitable impact on how quickly other emergency calls are answered.
"I would therefore like to reiterate that important message - only ring 999 in an emergency, and anyone who does abuse that service can expect to be dealt with robustly."
The spokesman said the number of people contacting the force online increased by more than 50% last week, while the number of calls to 101 fell by 15% compared with the monthly average.
