It is an offence to knowingly make a false representation that is likely to result in a police investigation to a police officer or someone who is likely to report it to police [Summary Offences Act 1953 (SA) s 62]. The maximum penalty is a fine of $10,000 or imprisonment for 2 years.

Upon conviction, the court can order the offender to pay a reasonable amount towards the expenses of any police investigation that resulted from the false report [s 62(2)]. This can be expensive.

The same penalties apply to the offence of creating a false belief that an offence has been committed or that life has been lost or endangered [s 62A].