DUBAI // More than a quarter of calls made last year to the emergency 999 hotline were for non-emergency situations.
Of the more than two million calls made in Dubai, more than 500,000 of them were classified as situations not requiring immediate attention.
“One guy called us because he had locked himself out of his car. That’s not an emergency,” said Brig Omar Abdul Aziz Al Shamsi, the director of Command and Control Centre at Dubai Police.
“Some people call thinking their issue is an emergency when, in fact, it does not qualify as one.”
One man complained about a bad mobile phone signal, one was looking for help with a leaking pipe and another trying to find a maid for his house.
“It happens all the time, every day, every hour,” said Brig Al Shamsi. “Some were emergencies, others were not. However, it is impossible for us to know whether they are urgent or not unless we answer.
“Our goal is to answer the phone within 10 seconds or after a maximum of three rings. Ninety-eight per cent of the time, we answer within seconds.”
Brig Al Shamsi said that when the operator realises the call is not an emergency, the caller is requested to call the relevant authorities.
“We do help them, and we do point them in the right direction, but we don’t transfer them ourselves or else they will keep calling 999,” he said.
More than 190,000 people called 999 with questions, while more than 13,500 asked about police services.
People in Dubai with non-emergency enquiries should call 901 for a centre that operates around the clock, answering public enquiries whether related to Dubai Police or general information.
The free number was launched in 2010 to divert non-urgent calls from the emergency number, 999, and limit its misuse. The centre will also receive suggestions and complaints from the public.
Brig Al Shamsi said police are trying to raise awareness through the media about the misuse of the emergency number.
Thomas Edelmann, founder of the Road Safety UAE website, said that non-urgent calls to 999 could divert the attention of the authorities to something that is, in reality, not an emergency.
“These emergency numbers are meant for emergencies only,” he said. “It could mean that the departments and staff would reach an accident quicker. I wouldn’t want other people clogging up the line.”
Mr Edelmann said that it boils down to etiquette and politeness.
“The is about courtesy. A person needs to treat others like how they want to be treated. I know that if I were in a car accident, I would want a rescue to team to be there as soon as possible.”
In 2011, Dubai Police launched an awareness campaign to educate the public about 901 and what services it provides.
The campaign is spreading the message by text, at ATM machines and through the media.
dmoukhallati@thenational.ae
