The former Home Secretary said it was crucial to spell out to pupils the consequences of making false 999 calls - and he also wants the police and fire service to work more closely together to identify persistent hoaxers.

Mr Blunkett spoke out after the death one of his constituents in a road smash involving a fire engine answering a hoax 999 call.

Nicola Jane Stacey, aged 36, of Valentine Crescent, Shire-green, died on Sunday after her Subaru Impreza was in a smash with a fire engine on Attercliffe Common.

Her 10-year-old daughter Lauren, a pupil at Hartley Brook Primary School, was in the car and is still in a critical condition in Sheffield Child-ren's Hospital.

A 17-year-old Rotherham youth who cannot be named for legal reasons has admitted making three hoax calls - including one which led to the tragedy. He has been remanded in custody and will be sentenced later this month.

Mr Blunkett believes a central part of compulsory citizenship classes at school should be to teach children to "help take responsibility as individuals and as a community".

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From 2002, citizenship lessons became a legal requirement for pupils aged 11 to 16 at schools in England - but Mr Blunkett fears not all schools are teaching the subject properly. He told The Star: "We announced compulsory citizenship teaching six years ago. Some schools are doing very well - they are teaching respect to community as we as respect to individuals.

"Some are not doing it very well at all. This has to change - a key part of citizenship education is highlighting the consequences of our actions."

He has previously called on Schools Secretary Ed Balls to employ a full-time minister to ensure government targets are met.

Mr Blunkett also wants a greater "exchange of information" about hoax callers between the police and fire service.

He added: "Secondly, we can look again at how incidents are dealt with where the police and fire services have to co-operate.

"This can make all the difference in terms of catching and convicting those responsible - and therefore getting the message across that the individual committing the offence has effectively killed and injured people just as surely as if they'd used a gun or a knife."


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