Helpline for general complaints can offer a solution

Dubai: Most people in Dubai are aware that 999 is the number to call in an emergency, but many people do not know what exactly an "emergency" means.

The operator manning this 24-hour service of Dubai Police at the operations room has had to field calls for some very unusual requests over the years: anything from complaints of bad service at a restaurant to someone panicking after finding a dead pigeon on the street.

"The only time I called 999 was to report a car accident," says Mina, who believes that the police get these weird calls because there is no number to lodge general complaints, unlike in some other countries. "I have heard of people calling the police here if they did not get a refund at a shop," she said.

"In Europe, you have a government body where you can write to or call if you are unhappy with a service. Since there's no such body here, everyone directs these calls to the police," said the expatriate.

Another expatriate believes Dubai Police's efficiency is a factor why everyone calls up the number.

"Their response time is very fast," says A.C. Suresh. He said "because the Police are so efficient, people think of them first when they are in a fix".

Leonard Daniels, food and beverage manager at The Aviation Club, says people call the police for the silliest of reasons. "Even if you have an argument with a taxi driver you call the police," he said. The Club never calls 999 unless it there is a genuine emergency, he added.

However, Dubai Police is not the only one to receive these trivial calls. Emergency numbers around the globe have to deal with anything from a hoax call or a crank call to calls to rescue a cat trapped in a tree!