Hong Kong police received nearly 750,000 nuisance or misdialled 999 calls last year
Department appeals to public to use service for emergencies only and seek help at police stations for other requests
The 999 emergency hotline was jammed by nearly 750,000 nuisance or misdialled calls last year, according to police.
The force on Thursday appealed to members of the public to use the service for emergencies only.
Last year, police regional command and control centres received 2,149,997 calls, of which 65.2 per cent, or 1,401, 223 calls, were genuine. The remaining 748,774 were nuisance calls or misdialled numbers.
“Misuse of the emergency hotline delays the handling of genuine emergencies,” a police spokesman said. “It could also endanger the lives of people at risk by postponing their access to the service.”
He said those making requests of a non-emergency nature were advised to seek assistance at police stations.
“Police stations in various districts could also promptly handle most crime reports and requests of a non-emergency nature,” the spokesman added.
There were 60,646 reports of crimes in the city last year, an 8.7 per cent drop from 66,439 in 2015.
