999 number being abused

Dubai: Inquiring about whether a certain brand of bottled drinking water is healthy or not is one of the many trivial calls that Dubai Police's Command and Control Room receives at 999 - a dedicated number allocated to emergency calls only.

Colonel Omar Abdullah Al Shamsi, director of the Command and Control Room, said: "We have been [repeatedly] saying that 999 is for emergency calls only, for years now, but the situation remains the same as more than half of the calls received on 999 continue to be trivial, general inquiries."

He said the diverse cultural backgrounds of the people living in the city is one of the factors behind this issue.

Colonel Al Shamsi said there was a whopping 1.7 million calls received on 999 in 2008.

"Around 549,892 calls made in 2008 were inquiries on trivial issues and that was more than half the total number," he said.

Colonel Al Shamsi said the number 999 receives on an average 8,000-10,000 calls daily and police personnel are required to take each and every call because they do not know which is a genuine emergency until they have answered it.

A walk in the Command and Control Room shows how busy each and every person is, working in that room, attending to all kinds of calls and providing as much help as possible to every caller.

"The personnel attending to calls on 999 try to answer the non-emergency inquiries of all callers in every way possible, but if information is unavailable, the personnel guide callers to where they can find the information," Colonel Al Shamsi said.

Colonel Al Shamsi said the Command and Control Room has 30 dedicated personnel round the clock to take calls on 999.

"We have a goal, as mentioned in Dubai Police's strategy, stating that we have to answer calls on 999 within three rings, which equals 10 seconds," he said.

He said from January to September in 2008, the average percentage of response to calls on 999 reached 93.9 per cent.

"All the personnel assigned to answer calls on 999 go through intensive training in various languages and on the methods of answering the calls, in addition to skills of customer service. They also have skills to calm down callers, especially the frustrated or nervous ones," Colonel Al Shamsi said.

Colonel Al Shamsi said soon there will be a dedicated number for inquiries, but he refused to elaborate on the issue. Anyone who is not in danger or in dire need of help should call the police general enquiries line on 04-2694848.

The number 999 receives all kinds of calls and inquiries, including queries on the available credit on one's mobile phone, complaints on disputes over parking spaces at shopping malls and so on.

There are other callers who report their missing dogs and horses, especially in the Jumeirah area!

Other calls include those from hassled girlfriends who complain about their boyfriends who have left them after a dispute.

Colonel Al Shamsi said many people, who do not have enough awareness about the emergency number, use public phones which have signboards with emergency numbers.

Colonel Al Shamsi said some irresponsible people even divert the annoying calls they receive on their mobile phones to 999. "We make such people sign an undertaking not to repeat such a thing," he said.

04-2694848 is the number to dial for general inquiries with the police

The number 999 receives all kinds of calls and inquiries, despite being allocaed only for emergencies. More than half of the calls received on 999 are trivial calls and general inquiries.

Some examples of trivial calls include:

Other calls include worried girlfriends calling 999 saying their boyfriends have left them after personal disputes.

Colonel Omar Al Shamsi, Director of Dubai Police's Command and Control Room, said many people, who do not have enough awareness about the emergency number, use public phones which have signboards with emergency numbers.

"They use the 999 number to call from a public phone and inquire about trivial things especially that calling the emergency number is free of charge," he said.

He said some irresponsible people even divert some annoying calls they receive from their mobiles to 999.

"We bring those who do such things and make them sign undertaking not to repeat such thing and if repeated, we take strict action against them," he said.

Have you ever called 999? Was it for an emergency? What services would you like to have an emergency number for?

Let the authorities assign this number to helpline and assign 911 for emergencies. Simple.
Qadeer
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 17:52

The number 999 is one which has to be used only in case of emergency. People who really dont know the importance are ignorant. The general number to dial in cae of minor accidents is 04-6095555. 999 is just like 100 or 111 in other countries.
Shahnawaz Mohammad
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 17:51

There should be an effective TV/Radio and Print marketing campaign to let people know 999 is only for life and death situations and make another hotline for general problems.
From A Reader
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 17:33

The problem is that there are too many people who do not think before they act for things that seem perfecrly simple. Sometimes it helps to call the operater or check the telephone directory for the correct number you are looking for ... Of course this call will be charged...
Sandra
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 16:56

Firstly, I think there should be a seperate number for issues related to accidents, as I see many cars with minor accidents and I am sure they might have called up 999, as I belive people do not know any other number to call. That might reduce a lot of calls on 999. Secondly the definition of EMERGENCY should be understood before dialing 999.
From A Reader
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 16:15

Some people call 999 because they probably think that their respective cases would fall in "emergency" category. but if the police department feels the call is trivial, perhaps it would be good if these people are adviced of which number to call if not diverted.
MP
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 15:21

I do agree there are many calls received by the police that are unsubstantiated. Although I must say, as far as the parking lot issue is concerned, I don't think the problem is that someone took the parking space. It would probably be that someone STOLE the parking space and that someone is ready to create a public scene knowing that its his/her mistake. I personally had an incident where i was waiting for a parking spot and all the car behind me had to do was to move back to allow me to park my car. Unfortunately he did not want to cooperate and was very abusive, creating an unncessary scene at the same time. Although I did not call the police for this incident, I did have half a mind to do so. What should a person do in this situation? Fights that are verbal are also considered an offense. So in this case, I think we no longer need a general 999 number. We need an incident reporting telephone directory.
Shaikh M. S.
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 15:18

I agree with S. Ali, but this is really shameful for people that they are make such silly mistakes.But i have another idea for this problem they should have auto answering machine, like when somebody called first step it should ask emergency or general. so, who ever has emergency he will go with emergency, if still people do the same mistake with emergeny option they should be fined.
Mohammad Amanullah Khan
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 15:12

It's not the fault of people who are new to Dubai. Please provide some emergency and useful toll free numbers in each and every bus/back side of bus ticket, bus stops, taxis etc.
Abdul Rasheed
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 14:22

We really appreciate the good work being done by the Dubai police.
Sohail
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 14:08

I had the same thing like Chris, only I hit my own car with the company vehicle. I called the local Police Station and they told me to dial 999, which I did. Everything worked out well, they came the next day and were very friendly and helpful.
Tobi
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 13:11

Evangelina, I have news for you - a taxi driver refusing to take you somewhere is not an EMERGENCY - and u did it twice - get a different taxi the first driver is obviously crazy and will drive the same, honestly!
Linda
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 13:02

I can understand what the police must be going through. I get one misdirected call in my office and I get mad. Thanks to the police for keeping their cool and still serving us with a huge SMILE. I wish we all could take a lesson or two from thisRegards
Melvin
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 12:58

Dubai Police are the best!!!!
Yaqoub
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 12:53

The simple answer is this. Get their addresses when they call then send someone around to collect a fixed penalty. Too many senseless people in this world.
Sergei
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 12:38

I called 999 when my toe fell off. Maybe I should have just put it back on. I dont know.
Kiran
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 12:32

There must be something wrong. Everyone knows that 999 is only for emergencies!What's up with that?
Aalia
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 12:17

Is there any separate number for car accidents where there is no emergency and car is in moving condition but police report required to get the car repaired and claim insurance?
Manish
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 11:37

I hope the person who called because they were about to pass out from their hemoglobin level was able to get through quickly and wasn't blocked by another person calling because their taxi wouldn't take them to their 'emergency' destination!
John J.
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 11:33

I never used 999 but I think one should not play with the lives of people who really need 999 for their emergency case.
Praveen
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 11:11

omg i lost my dog..what should i do..999
From A Reader
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 10:51

I have never called 999. There should be a special number for each department. At least then educated people can call right authority directly. The 999 number could still be kept for those who don't know where to call.
Mariam Sor
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 10:47

Well, in the first comment from Evangelina Robles we see where the problem is- if you consider your situation to be an emergency then you have a problem. You should have called the Taxi company, you could have been preventing somebody else getting through like Waqar Ali above, who could have died because of your inability to recognise an emergency.
Thomas Jennings
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 10:44

I have not yet called 999. It should be only used for life saving purpose. The people who misuse this number should be fined even at first time. I came to know after reading this article that police officers are even taking the emergency call within 3 rings. I appreciate that and the people should not waste their time. We should allow them to work better for the people who are in danger.
Jaafar
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 10:41

I think all countries suffer from this phenomena.
Ahmed
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 10:37

I called 999 twice last week. 1st time was when a motorbike hit my car while its driver was driving in his lane. The second time was when a man was knocked down infront of Dubai National BAnk (DNB) in Dubai.
Mahmoud Karkain
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 10:33

They should make it an offence and fine people.
Alison
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 10:33

Let us pray that we never have a reason tp call 999
AP Sailesh
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 10:33

One of the means to combat this might be if these guys would issue a generic list (which may not be restricted of course) to the nature of situations which might be termed as 'an emergency.' Of course this is a very subjective term. However, if they could print some real cases of emergency situations periodically, (with anonymity , of course), informing people what really is this team for.
Zainab
dubai,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 10:24

Firstly, I really admire and appreciate the efforts of Dubai police, I have called twice;once when I hit a car in a parking lot and the other time was when I witnessed an accident on the road and I was surprised to know that they were already informed even though I called within 30 seconds as the accident was really bad, so one can well imagine how effectively they are responding to calls.
Ali
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 10:19

Charge the trivial calls. Keep a facility, that if the customer care executive terms it as a trivial call, he/she should flag it and Etisalat should charge the call.
Abdullah Ismail
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 10:09

I have made a call to 999 once when I had a car accident. It was a minor one, but I realised later that I should have used an alternative emergency number as there must be many other people calling up for minor issues. However the personel on the other side was very polite and helpful as he listened to me carefully and took down my details before dispatching a police patrol to my location to expedite the issue. 999 should be treated as a number to be used only in very critical circumstances. I realise the situation 999 has to deal in since I am also a Call center Manager in an IT company.
Kashif Rauf
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 10:09

999 is familiar number for emergency. So, the people who use this number for other inquries are ignorant.
Zahid Qayyum
Umm Al Quwain,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 09:23

Those people are wasting the time of the police. Also, they tend to keep the line busy, which is not good especially if an emergency call is being made.. Authorities should do something to track these people, and if neccessary, fine them.
Ryan Pajarillaga
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 09:17

I agree that 999 should be used more responsibily so the authorites could track down the real problems as compared to answering random queries.
JD
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 09:17

I personally had a pleasant experience with 999 when I had an accident with a reckless cab driver. The response from 999 was concise, precise and quick.However, we need to understand that 999 should primarily be used for emergencies only. This is ridiculous that the lines are flooded with so many not so important calls. People need to be sensible enough in this regard, as some trivial issue might keep some urgent/emergency matter pending due to line blockage.
Fainamal
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 09:11

I called 999 twice for the same reason. For me it was an emergency because the taxi drivers (the old cabbies in Abu Dhabi) refused to take us to our destination.The police officer in 999 talked to him. I hope those people can identify properly what is an emergency call.
Evangelina Robles
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 08:52

No - I have never had to call 999. While I have dialled the fire brigade
Shanti
Duba,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 08:35

This is very surprising, and can't be expected from UAE residnets as this is more to do with common sense.It is unfair to Dubai Police as they are providing so many extended services just to help people, and people do not even understand this good gesture.Problem is that these calls can over rule real emergency cases where help is urgently required.I think a new number should be introduced similar to 999 say 099 as one of the reason everyone dialling 999 is that it is easily remembered by all.I called 999 yesterday,not an emergency, to inquire about prodecure of reporting a lost passport-they were great in explaining.
S Ali
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 08:29

I wonder why they didn't mention some example of Calls that has been taken seriously as a comparison between trivial and serious ones.
Sam B
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 08:26

I damaged my car 2 weeks ago reversing into my compound at an angle. As it was an evening I did not want to go out again, so I went to a Police Station in Sharjah the next morning to get a Police report.I explained the problem to the officer, he told me to go home and dial a number he gave me. I did this dialled the number whereupon I was instructed to dial 999 and a patrol would arrive at my residence and provide the required report. I protested it was not an emergency but was again instructed to dial 999. I did so and the patrol duly arrived.It was all very pleasant and efficient but that was the first time in my 62 years I have ever dialled 999.Many thanks to the boys in blue.
Chris Hill
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 08:24

Yes i have called 999 only once when my Hemogloben Level comes to a dangerous Level of 07. that time i was just going to die and i was dizzling around. suddenly i called 999 and they reach in 10 mins and take me to ICU. they were very cooperative and started surveying me in the Ambulance. So 999 service should only be used for some kinds of accidents or for Rescue purposes. it is a ridiculou7s to use this number for daily disputes.
Waqar Ali
Al Ain,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 07:51

I have made one call to report a minor accident. I knew that the accident was not an emergency, but I did not know of any other no to call. I request the authorities to set up a toll free number where we can report such accidents.
Shibu
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 07:38

Fortunately, I have never been in a situation where I've had to dial 999 for help. However, I am fully aware of the tremendous responsibilities handled by the authorities whenever they recieve a distress call on this important and on many ocassions 'life saver' number. It baffles me as to why some individuals treat this number with frivolity. Such irresponsible people should be fined heavily so that they come to realize that not everything in life is a matter of fun and games.
Shiuli Dutt Dey
Kolkata,India
Posted: January 21, 2009, 07:34

Generally i always had good assistance from 999 in case of accidents but I had a communication difficulty becuase many of the people taking the calls did not speak English
Ahmed.I
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 07:20

It is ridiculous that people are calling 999 for such silly reasons. An emergency number must not be misused and people need to be made aware of that. Emergencies could include assault, theft,vandalism etc. It is surprising that people who are so well educated are misusing the emergency number in this manner.
Naina Nair
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 07:16

For trivial calls automaticaly divert to the 04-2694848.
Hanif A. Ghany
Dubai,U.A.E
Posted: January 21, 2009, 07:00

On each building this services no. is given so people use the easiest ways. tell me another no. which is written on any buiding. If we want to avoid this public awareness program should be conducted.
Waqar
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 06:18

This is an absolute disgrace from the people of Dubai which is unacceptable. Dubai Police have an excellent track record for immediate responses to emergency calls and solving crime. They simply do not deserve this burden of irresponsible and negligible acts which could deteriorate the quality of public service. I have lived for 17 years here in the UAE and have never made a 999 call as I never had an emergency situation with immediate danger to life or property.
Shakir Ahmed
Dubai,UAE
Posted: January 21, 2009, 01:19

How about assigning 333 for non-emergency calls instead of that obscure 04-2694848.
Wael Ghanma
Dallas,USA
Posted: January 21, 2009, 01:13

if you ask me its appalling. People should have more common sense than that to be abusing the emergency lines. Pathetic!
nadia baker
atlanta,ga,usa
Posted: January 21, 2009, 00:30