Senior constable Steve Cherry issued the warning after a hoax call at a shopping centre over the weekend.

“Investigations are still continuing into this very serious offence where someone made a phone call to a Port Macquarie supermarket and stated that their was allegedly a bomb in the store,” he said.

“People were evacuated and police attended, so these threats are taken very seriously.

“There are now investigations into the carrier service and where the phone call may have come from, and how may be responsible for that phone call.

“Because of the amount of time and resources it has taken up it inconveniences a lot of people for what was just a hoax.”

If the investigation ends with someone being charged, they will face court over using a carriage service for a hoax threat. It carries an imprisonment of up to 10 years.

People can also be charged for making threats on social media platforms, such as Facebook for example, under sections 474.14 and 474.15 of the Provisions in the Commonwealth Crimes Act.

Anyone found to have used a carriage service in a menacing, harassing or offensive way, or who connects to a network with the intent to commit a serious offence, to make a threat to kill or threaten serious harm also face prison time of up to 10 years.

“People have to understand that phones, social media and all of those services can make our life so much easier, but can cause so much harm,” Snr Const Cherry said.

“If people use them irresponsibly then there are consequences for that. People may go to jail.

“If you’re going to use a mobile phone it is to be used in the right manner, not to be used for hoaxes or to threaten people.”