Half of all 999 calls trivial, police say

Dubai: The emergency 999 toll-free number is becoming clogged by non-essential general queries to authorities, Dubai Police say.

To free up the heavily congested line, police are reminding the public to refrain from calling 999 except in emergencies to ensure that callers who need immediate assistance are not kept waiting.

In a press conference on Wednesday, police officials urged the public to call 901 instead, a toll-free phone line reserved for general enquiries.

Callers to 901 can obtain basic information regarding issues ranging from labour complaints, traffic fines, and information pertaining to the issuance of birth, death, burial and other certificates, to social security, and medical concerns. People can also obtain information by emailing the 901 service at 901@dubaipolice.gov.ae.

Major General Jasem Mohammad Bu Rumaitha, Director-General of Dubai Police Operations, said the 999 emergency line received 2.3 million telephone calls last year. Almost half of the calls, or approximately one million enquiries, were of a non-serious nature, he added.

On the flip side, 50,000 callers in a genuine emergency ended up calling 901, he said. “We appeal to the public not to call 999 except in emergencies,” he said.

Bu Rumaitha said that police had launched an eight-day campaign to increase public awareness about the 901 number for non-emergency calls. “Some people call 999 to ask about shopping mall locations, another man called 999 to say that he needed to buy a painkiller for headache and he could not find a pharmacy that was open at night. Other callers reported an absconded worker or housemaid or to complain against taxi drivers who charged more than the meter allowed,” he said.

Bu Rumaitha said police officers answer the emergency line on average in less than 10 seconds but they needed public cooperation to provide quality service.

He said 33,970 calls were received on 901 last year from Arab callers and 16,000 from non-Arabs. He said people with health issues such as heart problems could register with 901 so that they would be assured immediate assistance in case they were not feeling well.

“I’m asking again and again that public should call 901 for enquires about services provided by Dubai Police,” Bu Rumaitha said.

He said calling 999 for trivial things wasted the time police officers had at their disposal to respond to genuine cases while denying people who really need assistance from being helped by police.

“All those who call 999 for non-urgent calls are always asked to call 901,” he said. He said many children, too, dialled 999 while playing with the phone.