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Mass. town's cops keep getting calls from Australia

NORTHBRIDGE, Mass. - A Massachusetts police department has been receiving some curious calls from people with Australian accents.

Police dispatchers in Northbridge say they have recently received several calls on their business line from people in an Australian community with the same name.

Northbridge, Massachusetts, is about 35 southwest of Boston. Northbridge, Australia, is a suburb of Perth, on the western coast of the country, and basically halfway around the world from Massachusetts.

Lisa Gaylord, who's been a dispatcher for 16 years, tells The Telegram & Gazette she got her first call from Australia in March. She thinks people there are probably searching online for "Northbridge police" and calling the first number that pops up.

One disgruntled Australian said the call would "cost a fortune," and hung up.

Australian callers have also told Gaylord about a fight and to report a missing person.

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