Police today (January 31) appealed to members of the public to use the 999 hotline service only for emergencies.
In 2018, the Police Regional Command and Control Centres received 2,187,619 calls, of which only about 66.6 per cent, or 1,456,853 calls, were genuine. The remaining 730,766 were nuisance calls or misdialled.
A Police spokesman said that misuse of the emergency hotline would delay the handling of genuine emergencies. It could also endanger the lives of people at risk by postponing their access to the service.
The spokesman added that police stations in various districts could promptly handle most crime reports and requests of a non-emergency nature. Members of the public are advised to seek assistance from police stations.
Police contact cards listing the telephone and fax numbers of all police stations as well as Police Hotlines are available for collection at police stations and Home Affairs Enquiry Centres of the Home Affairs Department. The list of contact numbers can also be found on the Police Public Page (www.police.gov.hk) and the Hong Kong Police Mobile Application.
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