West Midlands Police received almost 150 calls reporting sightings of witches , ghosts and UFOs over the past five years . Spooked members of the public contacted the force in their droves amid fears of paranormal activity . While the majority required no further police action , one call , made in February 2010 over a reported witch , resulted in an arrest . Over a five year period more than 70 reports of witch sightings and witchcraft were made to police ( file image ) Spooked residents dialled 999 more than 40 times to report ghost sightings while around 30 calls were placed about UFOs . Almost 80 different reports of witches or witchcraft were filed . Of all the calls made only eight were classified as hoaxes . The rush in reports of paranormal activity was not to be mocked , said police who offered advice on dozens of the cases . 'While the figures can seem amusing , behind some of these 'supernatural ' calls may be a deeply troubled individual or a person wasting valuable police time , which would be better spent preventing real crimes , ' a spokesman said . 'West Midlands Police always take action against those found to be knowingly making false and malicious calls to the emergency services . ' Nick Duffy of the West Midlands Ghost Club said the police had long received calls from panicked members of the public . Nick Duffy , leading light of West Midlands Ghost , believes the surge is down to the increasing popularity of supernatural-themed television programmes . 'When we started in 1989 we were the only one in the Midlands , ' he said . 'Six years ago there were 70 . I stopped counting after that . 'If you call a paranormal group , they will not come out of your house without something happening - and that is the real problem . 'These figure are also a by-product of Most Haunted and all the American rubbish . 'For people who experience things like poltergeist activity , the police have always been a go-to source . ' Among the cases Mr Duffy has been involved with was a woman who thought she had a polar bear or werewolf living in her back garden . 'She had n't seen it , but had heard growling and scratching around the bins . I asked if it could 've been dogs ? ' Mr Duffy added the popularity of programmes such as Most Haunted ( above ) had sparked people 's interest .
West Midlands Police received 152 calls reporting paranormal activity . Dozens thought they had seen UFOs , ghosts and witches in the region . One person was arrested in Six years ago as a result of one call .